Girl Meets One Fourth
by maddieindizney
Summary: During an unfortunate day in detention, Riley goes through an event that will change her life forever, and not in a good way. She can't tell anyone her secret, in fear that it will change the way everyone looks at her. And the problems don't stop there. Will she ever be the same again? Mainly RUCAS, some minor LUCAYA. Rated T for violent themes and abuse. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my first story on fanfiction :) I hope at least a few of you will enjoy it, because it isn't a typical story. Or maybe it is. I don't know... Don't forget to leave a review!**

**Warning: Story may contain subjects sensitive to some readers. Viewer discretion is advised. I actually did edit many things so that the content wasn't too explicit. This chapter might be the only one with very sensitive subject matter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own Girl Meets World or the characters. I do credit myself for the storyline, though.**

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Riley's POV

It was pouring rain outside as I looked through the window in the classroom. I was supposed to be on the subway with Maya right now, and then we were going to hang out at my house for a couple of hours. But the substitute teacher, Ms. Hemmings, was convinced that I cheated on our quiz because I had the same answers as Farkle. So now I'm sitting in detention. It sucks that when I finally get a perfect score on a test, the teacher doesn't give me any credit for it. So much for trying hard in school...

I had been sitting in that room for an hour at least, so you could probably guess why I had raised my hand when the teacher said, "Are there two students who would like to turn in the attendance form to get let out of detention early?" My hand had went flying in the air quicker than lightning, a big smile on my face. A few other hands were up too, everyone desperate to get out of this mini prison. The teacher surveyed the room, probably trying to look for the most trustworthy students. She finally decided. "Riley Mathews and Jason Daniels, come take this to the office. Don't forget your belongings."

I let out a small squeal of excitement and put the strap of my school bag over one shoulder. When I went up to get the attendance sheet is when I saw his face. His jet black hair was spiked up with gel and his green piercing eyes contrasted with his fair skin. He had sort of a sly yet goofy grin on his face, and looked me in the eyes. I blushed and looked down, not used to this kind of attention from guys. Especially not from what my school would consider to be one of the bad boys. He had on black everything, except for his studded belt.

I grabbed the attendance sheet and we made our way to the hallway. As soon as the classroom door closed, he started to talk. "What's your name?" he asked with a small smile. I was a little surprised by him talking to me, but I managed to keep myself calm.

"I'm Riley."

"Cute name. I didn't hear it when the teacher called on us," he replied. He looked around the hallway, and I eyed his every movement. He seemed like a good guy, but something was just a little off about him. It was hard to say what exactly it was. I guess that's just the mystery of the bad boy. He turned to face me and smirked. "What are you looking at?" My heart started to race. He caught me looking at him!

"Oh, um, nothing. Just looking around," I said quickly, trying to seem calm. On the inside I was dying from embarrassment. He raised an eyebrow at me and kept walking forward.

"Actually, I know a quicker way to the office. Wanna check it out?" he asked me, stopping in his tracks. I let the question process in my mind. A quicker way? Well, that just means getting back home faster. I nodded and he smiled at me, gesturing to the right. We turned, and kept walking down the hall. It was the "abandoned hallway" that everyone at school talked about. There were no teachers in any of the classes, and it hadn't been dusted in years. Not to mention, it creeped me out.

I looked up at him. "Are you sure it's this way?" I asked him.

He just looked down at me and smirked. "I wouldn't lie to you. It's a short cut that no one uses. Trust me."

"Okay..." I replied, feeling confused.

We finally found a door, and he opened it for me. "Ladies first," he said, giving me a small smile. I walked into the dark room, curious to what this supposed short cut was. Then I heard a switch flip, and the lights came on. It was just an old storage room, with a table, a few empty boxes and buckets, shelves with tools on them. Confused, I turned around to look at Jason.

He had his back turned to me, and was locking the door to the room. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest as he turned around and faced me. "I saw the way you were looking at me," he said, in a different tone of voice. It was like he was a different person.

As he stepped toward me, I stepped back. "What do you mean?" I asked in a shaky voice. He didn't answer my question. In a second, he had grabbed my wrists and pinned them against the table behind me and forced his lips on mine. I tried to kick and pry his fingers off my wrists, but they wouldn't budge. I couldn't scream, but I didn't give up trying to get him off of me. When he finally pulled away from my lips, I took that chance to scream. "GET OFF ME, GET-" I felt a hot sting come across my face, cutting me off mid sentence.

When I looked at him, his eyes were a dark green, something looked so evil about them. "SHUT UP, you wanted this! You were practically begging for it," he snapped at me. No words could come out of my mouth. I was in shock. I had never been slapped in my life before, and had never been hit by a boy.

And I couldn't help it when tears started rolling down my face. His hands reached for my long skirt and pulled it up. It was at that time that I panicked more than ever. "What are you doing?" I said, in a quiet and wimpy voice. Again, I attempted to get his hands off of me, and again, he was too strong. I could feel his hands roaming around on me and I hated it. Tears were streaming down my cheeks. How did I get here? How could I have been so stupid?

I wanted my dad, my mom, Maya, my friends Lucas and Farkle. I felt so alone and helpless. "Don't worry, Riley," he said in a deep, whispering tone. It sent chills down my spine. He unzipped his jeans and I forced myself to look up at the ceiling. I whimpered as he started to reach for the hem of my underwear. "I'll take good care of you." I started to tremble.

I had heard about this kind of thing around school, but they only taught it to the older kids. I had no idea what to expect, and I didn't want to know. "Please," I cried, closing my eyes. "Please don't, please don't do this." He pressed his lips on mine again and then he did it. I couldn't help but scream. At this point he didn't care. It went on for what seemed like hours. He kept me pinned against that rock-like table in that dingy room. I wanted it to end, I wanted him to be done so that it would stop. His grip on me was tight, and I could feel one of my wrists bruising.

Next thing I knew I was sitting on the ground with my skirt pushed up and my underwear around my ankles. He was looking down at me while I just stared blankly ahead, silently crying. I heard him zip his jeans back up and then he kneeled down in front of me so that we were face to face. "If you tell anyone, I'll just say you wanted it," he said in a calm voice. He looked at me for a while and then smiled. I hated his smile now. "Stop crying. Whores don't have any reason to cry, they get what's coming to them," he said, wiping one of my tears with his thumb.

I turned my face away, not wanting him to touch me anymore. That made him angry, and his hand hit my cheek so hard I fell over on my side. Finally, he got back up and left the room.

I lay on the ground for a long time, not wanting to move. I didn't want to do anything. What was I supposed to do? What if he was right? What if people just thought that I wanted it? Then everyone would just make fun of me at school. And what would my mom and dad think? And Maya? I couldn't do it. I couldn't tell anyone. Even thinking about telling someone sent chills down my spine. They wouldn't see me the same way ever again.

After a good half hour, I sat back up and pushed my skirt down. I stood up and walked out of the room. Even my walk was different. I felt weird, and used. Dirty, almost. The school was dark, and so was the sky outside. It must have been at least an hour since I had been locked in there.

I pushed through the school doors and in a daze made my way to the subway station. No one noticed me as I sat down. Not that I cared though. Everything passed by so quickly. All I wanted to do was go to my room and hide. Get away from the world.

The subway was almost at my stop when I heard my name being called. "Riley? Riley, is that you?" I looked in the direction of the sound and saw Lucas standing behind a crowd of people. His eyes were full of concern, probably seeing the red marks on my face and the dried tears. The subway stopped and he attempted to get through the crowd. Quickly, I ran out the doors with my bag bouncing at my side, past everyone in the subway. I didn't want Lucas to see me like this. Or anyone, really. I liked being the happy girl, the upbeat and outgoing one. Not the sad and helpless one.

Not too much later, I arrived at my apartment. Before entering my house, I pulled out my phone and checked the time. It was 8:15. Mom and dad were going to kill me. I braced myself and reached out for the doorknob, putting my hand on it. I turned it and opened the door. I was a little surprised it was already open, but I figured it was because my parents were expecting me. Great.

There in the living room, my dad was pacing around the room and my mom was sitting at the kitchen table. Auggie was most likely in bed already, because I didn't see him anywhere.

Quickly, I walked in and closed the door behind me, causing both of them to look my way. My mom ran over to me as fast as she could. "Riley! Where have you been!?" she exclaimed, hugging me tightly. My arms stayed at my sides for some reason, though I usually would hug her back. My dad walked closer to us, and I attempted to hide my face in the hug. I didn't want him to see me.

"Riley, what were you doing out so late?" he asked, and my mom pulled away from our hug. I looked down and shrugged, not wanting to answer his question. I couldn't answer his question. He crossed his arms now, and my mom stood by him. "Riley?" he asked again. "Look at me." With nervousness building up inside me, I slowly looked up at them. Their faces turned from slightly angry to concerned in a matter of seconds.

My mom, with her mouth open for some time, finally said, "What on Earth happened to you?"

"Why do you have red marks on your face? Did someone hurt you?" My dad asked, and my mom tried to reach out to me. I stepped backwards, avoiding her touch. She looked a little hurt, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. "Riley, if someone hurt you, tell me right now!"

"I got into a fight," I said, and they both looked shocked. I looked down again. "I had a fight with this one girl from school, so I got detention." My mom kneeled down to face me. It made me uncomfortable.

"Riley, what's gotten into you? You know you can't fight people at school. It doesn't solve anything." I backed away from her, not comfortable with being to close. She gave me a confused look and so did my dad. I couldn't handle it anymore.

"I'm going to my room. I'm tired," I told them, and started walking quickly to my door. My dad called after me, but I didn't listen.

Once I was in my room, I sat near my window and looked outside. Rain drops were covering it, and the rain was pouring hard. Tears were welling up, but I didn't let them come out. Though I knew what happened, I was still in shock. How could this have happened to me? Why me? I shut my eyes and wished hard that it had never happened. Of course, nothing changed when I opened them back up.

Not wanting to lay down in my bed that night, I grabbed a small blanket on the side of the window seat and wrapped it around myself. I fell asleep watching the rain.


	2. Chapter 2

**I already had this chapter done yesterday, but I wanted to take more time out to edit it. Sorry in advance for the grammar errors that I probably missed. Thanks for the reviews :-) , I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

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Parents POV

Riley had left to her room, ignoring her dad's calls after her. "Riley, get back over here!" her dad called, but she had already shut the door. He sighed and crossed his arms as he looked at Topanga.

She was looking at her daughter's door with a saddened expression. Everything was silent, except for the rain pouring outside. "Something's wrong," she said, and turned to face Cory. "Something's very wrong with our daughter, Cory. She was acting so... strange."

Cory nodded. "Something's up, but I have no idea. This isn't the Riley we know," he commented, and started pacing in the living room again. Topanga sat on the couch with her chin in the palm of her hand. He finally gave up on his thinking process. "I'm not sure what it is, but we'll have to keep a close eye on her for a while. Just let her be alone for the night."

Topanga nodded and kissed Cory on the cheek. As they lay in their bed, they couldn't stop thinking about their daughter. Their minds were racing with her actions when she arrived home.

Why was she so distant? It was strange. After tossing and turning for a while, they both fell asleep.

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Riley's POV

I woke up to a partly cloudy sky and realized I was still by my window. My eyes felt puffy, and I was extremely sore everywhere. I grimaced as I forced myself to sit up and stretch my arms. My hand went to my phone and I checked the time. 6:00am. It was a bit early for me to be waking up, but I dreaded going back to sleep for some reason.

In a daze, I had taken a shower, brushed my teeth and hair, and got dressed in a dark blue shirt and gray jeans, along with a silver belt. Once that was done, I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked tired, though the puffiness of my eyes had gone down. My vision shifted to my arm and spotted something.

I had the bruises of five fingers on my wrist.

Quickly, I grabbed a jacket out of my closet and put it on, covering up the mark. That was better.

I walked out of my room and heard my mom in the kitchen. She was making pancakes, and had already served some to Auggie, who was sitting at the table. He noticed me and smiled. "Hello Riley!" he said happily.

"Hey Auggie," I replied, giving him a weak smile. My mom turned around and saw me. She smiled and started preparing my plate of breakfast for me. I sat at the table and rested my chin in my hand. It was weird today. I was different today. I didn't feel like Riley anymore. Sighing, I watched my mom bring me a plate of pancakes.

With a happy face, she said, "Here you go, Riley, two pancakes with extra syrup and whipped cream on the top!" I grabbed the fork she put next to my plate and picked it up.

"Thanks," I responded, and poked around at the pancakes.

She didn't go anywhere and stayed there looking at me. "Riley, are you feeling alright? Nothing else happened yesterday, right?" she asked me. My heart was beating faster, but I shook it off. She didn't know.

"Yes Mom, nothing else," I responded. I took a tiny bite of my pancakes when the buzzer went off.

"Hey losers, it's Maya!"

"And Lucas."

"And Farkle!"

My lips couldn't help but curve into a smile when I heard their names. It was weird that all of them showed up, instead of the usual Maya, but I didn't mind. I stood up and quickly made my way to the door with my school bag. "See you later, Mom," I called out before closing the door. Down the hallway and out of the building, I met up with my three friends. I felt an instant feeling of safety with them.

"Hey, Riley, how was your first time in detention?" Maya asked, patting me on the back.

"You were in detention?!" Farkle exclaimed, looking at me with disbelief. "How?"

"The teacher thought she was copying off of you during the test," Maya said to Farkle, a smile on her face. Farkle looked embarrassed and Maya shifted her attention back to me. "So, how was it?"

My mind flashed back to yesterday. I could still feel his hands on me, and the way my heart was racing with fear. "I wish I never went," I replied, and we made our way to the subway station.

"Was that you on the subway yesterday?" Lucas asked me, giving me a look that meant he was expecting a certain answer. I shook my head.

"Nope, must've been someone else..." He raised an eyebrow at me and we got on the subway bus and sat down.

"Really?" he questioned me again. "I could've sworn it was you..."

I shrugged. "Well, maybe I have a clone that's roaming New York." That made him laugh, and I smiled back at him. Act natural, act natural. It wasn't that hard at all. I let out a breath of air and started to put my hands behind my head.

"Smile!" someone said, and I saw a bright flash. It was Maya. I immediately put my hands back down and looked at her.

"Why'd you take a picture of me?" I asked, putting my arms down and pulling on my jacket sleeves.

"So I can have a new contact photo for you on my phone," she replied, and raised an eyebrow. "Why, do you want me to erase it or something?"

I shook my head, "No, its fine."

Maya gave me a funny look and sat down in front of me. "You're acting kind of different Riley..." she said, giving me a questioning look. "Sure you're alright?"

"Why is everyone asking me that, I'm fine," I replied, and gave them a small smile. They all seemed to give me a weird look, and then slowly looked away. We were all silent for a while. Great, I made it awkward. I guess I wasn't that reassuring...

* * *

I sat at my desk tapping my pencil against it, listening to only half of what my dad was teaching to the class. It was becoming impossible to pay attention to anything he was saying. "…The emancipation… slaves were… and that's why," was all I heard from his lecture. My mind kept flashing back to yesterday, and I couldn't get it to stop.

His voice was filling my head. "_You wanted this!_"

I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. Stop thinking about it; keep your mind off of it at all costs. Just focus. "_You were practically begging for it!_"

I let the breath of air out and bit my lip in frustration. His voice wouldn't leave my head no matter what I tried to do. Every word I heard sent chills down my spine and the fear would come back to me. I could feel my heart beat just as fast as it did that day.

"_If you tell anyone, I'll just say you wanted it_."

The bell finally rang for class and I darted out of there as fast as I could. I figured maybe if I kept moving around, I wouldn't have to think about it anymore. It seemed like a good idea. I made my way to my locker and looked around. Then it struck me.

He's here. He is at this school right now. For all I know he could be right behind me, following my every move, waiting to strike again. As I started to open up my locker, I felt a hand touch my shoulder. "Hey, Riley."

I jumped at the touch and turned around. It was just Maya. "Oh, hi Maya, it's just you. You scared me," I replied, my lips curving into a smile at the relief that it wasn't him.

"Yeah, it's just me. Who else would it be?" she asked. Before I could come up with an answer, she started to talk again. "Anyways, you're coming over to my house tonight for a sleepover. We'll take the subway there," she added, and gave me a smile.

I raised an eyebrow. "Do I have a say in this?"

"Nope," she grinned, and I turned around to put my books in my locker and get ones for my net few classes out. She leaned against the locker next to mine and sighed. "Alright, look. My grandma isn't going to be home tonight and my mom… won't be there either. So I just wanted someone to be there with me," she told me, avoiding eye contact.

Why didn't she just tell me that in the first place? I closed my locker and turned around to face my best friend. "Maya, of course I'll go over," I replied, causing her to look up at me. "What are friends for?"

"Are friends for lunch money? Because I really need some," she replied, giving me a hopeful look. I shook my head and pulled out three dollars from my bag and gave it to her. "Thanks, Riles. I-"

"Owe you one? Yes, you do," I finished for her, and she raised an eyebrow at me.

"I love how I'm rubbing off on you."

I shrugged and the one minute bell rang. We both said bye and headed to our next classes. I started to walk past the big crowds of people, trying to avoid contact with them to no avail. Everyone seemed to be running late to class during this passing period. For some reason I just wanted to get out of the halls and into my class room as quickly as possible. I saw the door to it and almost made it, but then I froze. I couldn't move.

It was him.

He was walking with his arm around some other girl, coming in my direction. He hadn't even noticed me yet, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything. My heart was pounding and tears threatened to spill out of my eyes. Finally, once he was only a few feet away from me, he looked up at me. Those green eyes were staring at me, and a smirk grew across his face. It was like he gained happiness from seeing me in fear.

In slow motion it seemed, he winked at me and purposely brushed against me while walking past me. Without looking back at him, I turned to my right and walked into my classroom and bumped right into someone. "I'm sorry," I said, and looked up. It was Lucas. "Oh, hi Lucas," I said, giving him a weak smile.

"Hey, Riley," he said, and gestured to a stack of papers in his hands. "I was just making some copies for my teacher next period. I didn't know this was your class."

"Yeah, I guess I never mentioned it," I replied, looking behind me to make sure I was safe.

He smiled and said, "Maybe I'll make copies for the teacher more often."

"That sounds like a good idea," I told him, fiddling with the strap on my school bag.

Lucas gave me a curious look and said, "Are you feeling okay? You seem a little-"

"No, I'm fine," I interrupted, and slid past him, further into my classroom. I turned back around to face him again. "See you later, Lucas."

"Ok… See you later," he replied, and walked out of the classroom. I sighed. I was trying to remain low-key about everything, but it was impossible. Forgetting was impossible. It seemed that the more I tried to push it away, the more it would bounce right back into place and build up. I was worried that soon I wouldn't be able to contain myself next time.

Silently, I took my place at my desk and took my supplies out. Until that time came, where I'd probably lose it, I could at least attempt to act normally.

* * *

After letting my parents know I'd be at Maya's house for the night (leaving out that we would be alone), I had spent hours there. Most of the time was spent talking about random school stuff and going on our phones to check if anything interesting was going on with the lives of other people on Facebook. There was nothing too interesting, except that a couple had just broken up.

I don't know how she did it, but Maya prank called a pizza place somewhere in the neighborhood and managed to get us free dinner. The man on the other line was not as happy as we were about it. We scored two pizzas; one just plain cheese, and another with anchovies. In case you were wondering, only one pizza was eaten that night.

It was midnight and Maya had fallen asleep a while ago. I was still up. My mind was racing. It was cool inside the room, a breeze coming from a crack through her bedroom door. Shivering, I pulled my blankets up to warm myself and turned towards Maya. It just felt safe to have her next to me, making me glad that I decided to spend the night.

Part of that safe feeling was that this house used to scare me. Once I got over that fear, it made me feel stronger being in there. I could finally spend the night at a place I used to fear, and that was a great feeling.

I closed my eyes and attempted to get cozy. It surprisingly wasn't too hard, which made me wonder why I couldn't get to sleep in the first place. I let out a breath of air and relaxed.

Before I finally fell out, I heard a knock. Immediately, I sat up and looked around. Where was it coming from? There was another knock, and I heard it come from the window. I pulled the covers off of myself in a second and listened closely. Slowly, I crept out of bed and walked to the window. When I looked, I saw a figure standing there. "Riley?" it asked, and I instantly recognized the voice.

"Lucas?" I asked, and opened the window. "What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in," he asked, trying to look around but realized it was too dark to see much. I looked over at Maya's figure and saw that she was sound asleep.

I nodded at him. "Yeah, come in."

I stepped back and allowed him to climb in through the window, and fully step into Maya's house. Once inside, I questioned him again. "What are you doing here?"

He stepped closer to me. "Riley, I don't know why, but I just had to see you," he replied, and put a hand on my cheek.

Instead of feeling fear, I felt butterflies. Was this really happening? Was Lucas actually here with me, his hand on my cheek, about to kiss me? He leaned forward, getting closer to me. I closed my eyes, and felt him inches away from me. All of the sudden, he let out a small laugh.

"What's so funny?" I asked, confused.

"What's funny," he replied, looking at me. His voice wasn't his. "Is that you'd fall for this."

I looked at him and realized something. This guy had black hair, and deep green eyes. This was not Lucas at all. When he saw my face fill with fear, he laughed again. He grabbed me by my wrists and pulled me towards him. I tried my hardest to pull away. "NO!" I yelled, pulling my arms back. "Let me go!"

No, it couldn't happen. Not again. I wouldn't be able to take it. I let out a small scream as his grip got tighter around my wrists. "Riley!" he yelled at me, pulling me closer.

"Let me go! I don't want this!" I yelled back at him, attempting to kick him.

He dodged it and I struggled even more. "Riley! Stop it!" he yelled.

Suddenly, the lights were on and I was sitting on Maya's bed, yelling at her to let me go. Her alarm clock read 11:46pm. She was holding my wrists, trying to calm me down. "Riley, what's wrong with you?!" she asked, her face full of concern.

I still couldn't shake the panic off. "No, let me go!" I screamed at her, and pulled away from her grasp. Tears were streaming down my face, and Maya actually looked a little scared.

"Riles, it was just a dream. It's ok," she told me, trying to comfort me.

I shook my head. "No, it wasn't," I cried, my body still shaking from fear. "It wasn't just a dream."

"What are you talking about?" she asked me.

I trembled as I attempted to talk. "Yesterday, after detention," I started. "I didn't know what I was thinking. I let this guy lead me to a room at school that no one uses."

Maya was listening carefully, waiting for me to continue. "What happened, Riles?"

"He," I started. "He locked the door. And he started kissing me, and he wouldn't let me go."

I started to cry again. Maya's eyes widened. "What?" she replied, scooting closer to me. "Riley, what happened in there?"

I shook my head. "Maya, I didn't want it, I swear I didn't."

She looked at me for a long time before pulling me in for a hug. I wrapped my arms around her, and we didn't say another word for the rest of the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Yes, I know, it's been a while. I've been busy with school and holiday stuff, the usual. Hopefully next time there will be a quicker update. Enjoy the new chapter and don't forget to leave a review! Also, sorry for any grammar errors I missed.**

**Warning: This chapter contains subjects that may be sensitive to some readers.**

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Riley's POV

In the morning, I was still at Maya's house. Still, no adults were there, so we were alone in her small home. There hadn't been much talking. Or any really. We finally fell asleep next to each other and when we woke up, we just acted like everything was normal. That was, until an hour into our morning.

I had put on a new set of clothes and was currently fixing my hair, while Maya had just gotten out of the shower only 10 minutes ago. She got dressed pretty quickly. We were both in her small bathroom, and she seemed to be looking for something. I decided to speak up. "What are you looking for?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Just, something," she mumbled, and kneeled down to check the bottom cabinet under the sink. I gave her a confused look and kept an eye on her as I fixed my hair.

Maya reached for something far back in the cabinet and pulled it out. She put it on the counter and I looked at it with a raised eyebrow.

"You needed an empty toothpaste tube?" I asked her.

"Who did it?" she questioned me, still looking at the toothpaste.

I looked away from her and into the mirror at myself. "What do you mean?" I asked, brushing my hair. I knew exactly what she meant.

"Who did it do you, Riley?" she repeated, and looked at me. I stayed silent. I didn't want to tell her. What if I got in trouble if I told someone he did this to me? What if Maya got hurt because of it? I just couldn't take that chance.

I shook my head. "I can't tell you," I replied, looking down.

"Riles, yes you can. You can tell me anything," she said, putting a hand on my arm. I shook her hand off and looked away.  
"You don't understand," I told her, sighing.

She tried to look me in the eyes. "Well, tell me what it is that I don't understand. I only want to help you."

I finally looked at her. "Maya, I'm scared. I'm scared every minute of every day, every second. And if I tell anyone who did it, I'll really have something to be scared about."

"Have you at least told your parents?"

"No."

Maya sighed and crossed her arms. We were silent for a little while. Everything was still and quiet. Eventually she put the toothpaste in the garbage and began to get the new one out to start brushing her teeth. I continued brushing my hair, but the tangles in it were just too unmanageable. Looking down, I grabbed a random hair tie from the counter and tied my hair up into a ponytail. Maya jumped on to the counter and sat on it, looking at me.

She gave me a small smile. "It's kind of funny how the roles have switched, huh?" she questioned me.

I was totally confused. "What?"

"Usually you're the one confronting me about things, trying to fix things after I make a big mess. But now, I'm taking care of you," she responded, lifting up one knee and resting her chin on it. "Now I know how you feel. It's harder than it looks, when you know there isn't much you can do to help your best friend."

I looked up at her and said, "There really isn't anything anyone can do to take it away, but you being here is enough for now."

We both smiled at each other, but we both could see behind our smiles. I could see she was disappointed in herself, like she failed. She could probably see my pain, my fear, my sadness. Maya let out a breath of air and hopped down from the bathroom counter.

"Well, we better hurry up. I don't need another tardy this semester," she said, and grabbed my hand. "Come on, as long as you're with me, you don't have to be afraid. I promise."

I smiled. "Thanks," I said, and we both grabbed our school bags and left her house.

As we made our way to the subway, I thought about what she said. About how I don't have to be afraid when I'm with her. Sure, I did feel safe with Maya. I looked over at her and her confident demeanor. How could I not? But she really shouldn't make promises she can't keep.

* * *

Lucas's POV

I was in my math class, and we were taking notes. The teacher, for some reason, kept calling on me to answer questions. "Mr. Friar, can you tell me the answer to problem two?"

She had caught me off guard, though I was usually prepared. I fumbled around with my notes, but couldn't find problem two anywhere, though I swore I wrote it down. With time ticking away, I decided to use my memory and take a guess. "Is it 'i' square root ten, ma'am?"

"Incorrect, Mr. Friar. The right answer is two 'i' square root ten. Use your calculator next time."

Some of my classmates snickered and I sighed and shook my head. I hadn't been able to think straight since yesterday. Riley had been acting really strange. First, she denied being on the subway. I could've sworn she was crying. She bolted out as fast as she could when I called her name. Second, something I didn't mention to anyone, I saw a bruise on her wrist as we were on the subway to school. How did she get it, and by who? Was it someone at home doing this to her? Lastly, she was avoiding me during passing period yesterday. It's not like her to ignore her friends, and I just couldn't shake it off.

I texted Maya earlier, asking if we could meet. I mean, they're best friends, so she'd have to know what's up, right? Even Farkle was worried. He cares about those two girls more than anything, and agreed that we should ask Maya about it.

Looking at the clock above the classroom's white board, I sighed. We still had about a good twenty minutes before class was over. My mind was racing.

Suddenly, my cell phone vibrated in my pocket. The teacher was still lecturing the class, so she didn't notice when I took out my phone and checked my messages. It was Maya.

If you wanna meet, lets do it now. See you by the girls bathroom in five minutes.

I put my phone away and raised my hand quickly. The teacher looked over at me and made eye contact. "Yes, Mr. Friar?"

"May I use the restroom?" I asked, and looked over at the door.

"Yes, but quickly, please," she replied, and went back to her lecturing.

I got out of my seat and out of the door. The hallway was silent, my footsteps the only thing filling the halls with sound. It was weird for me, because I'm usually in class the whole time it's in session. I guess I could say it was the first time I "ditched". Then again, I was eventually going to go back to class.

Not long after, I reached the bathrooms. I saw Maya standing there against the wall with her arms crossed. Farkle was next to her, looking at me with a nervous look. He was probably afraid of getting caught in the halls.

"Took you long enough," she said, and gestured towards the girl's bathroom. "There's no one in there. I checked."

Me and Farkle looked at each other. The girl's bathroom? With a little bit of hesitation, we walked into the bathroom and Maya shut the door and put a doorstopper under it. "There, now what is it that you two wanted to talk about that was so important we had to be alone?"

She leaned against the door and crossed her arms again, tapping her foot. We had to make this quick.

Farkle spoke first. "It's about Riley. She's acting really..."

"Distant," I finished for him, and looked at Maya. She seemed to be looking at the wall behind me instead of directly at me. "We figured since you're her best friend, maybe you could ask her about it. Or, do you already know what it is?"

She stopped tapping her foot and looked surprised. She shook her head. "Sorry, I can't help you with that," she said, avoiding eye contact with me. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"So you do know something?" I asked, looking at her. Maya didn't respond, and she just looked away from me. She was great when it came to vocally lying, but her body language threw her off. I stepped closer to her. "Well, come on. If you know something, then tell us."

Farkle nodded and we both looked at Maya. She shook her head again. "Look guys, I just don't know if I should say anything, Ok?"

"But," Farkle started, looking up at Maya. "We're her friends, too. Whatever is bothering Riley, we want to know."

"I agree," I said, crossing my arms.

Maya sighed and looked me in the eyes, finally. "I don't know, you guys."

I could tell she was close to spilling out whatever it was that she was hiding, so I continued to beg her. "Maya, please, tell us," I asked, looking her in the eyes. They had a slightly sad look in them, which was unusual for her. "If we all knew what was wrong, maybe we could help?"

It was silent for a few seconds as Farkle and I patiently waited for Maya to respond. The light in the bathroom flickered, causing everyone to look up with curiosity, but then quickly look back at each other. "Ok," Maya said, "but if I tell you two, you need to promise this stays between us only. And don't tell Riley I told you. It's really serious."

Farkle nodded eagerly, and I nodded too. We both waited for our friend to tell us the news that was supposedly very serious. Maya backed up and sat on the counter in the bathroom. She sighed and said, "Well yesterday, she was at my house. She'd been acting a little off, but I ignored it, until later."

"What happened later?" I asked.

"I woke up in the middle of the night to Riley screaming. I was scared, so I jumped up and turned on the lights. She was still in bed and her eyes were closed, so I just thought she was having a nightmare. When I woke her up and tried to tell her it was just a dream, she wouldn't take that for an answer. She told me it wasn't."

"Wait, so she's been acting weird because of her dreams?" Farkle asked.

"Would you let me finish?" Maya asked, then went back to her story. "I asked her what she meant, and then she told me," Maya said, then sighed. She looked at the ground and continued. "Riley said that after detention, some guy tricked her into going into a room. He locked the door... and he raped her."

It felt like my heart dropped down to my stomach. My breathing stopped, and I froze. I tried to process it through my mind. The dried tears on her cheeks, the bruise on her wrist, her distant behavior. She was... I couldn't even think it, let alone say it. Farkle, who was as shocked as I was, spoke first. "What? Riley was..." he started, but never finished the sentence. Maya nodded, her hands in her lap.

"She hasn't even told her parents yet," she said, looking at the two of us.

How could this have happened to Riley? It isn't right! Some guy locked her in a room and forced her to... my fists just clenched at the thought of this idiot doing this to her! I looked at Maya and asked, "Who did it?"

She shrugged. "She wouldn't tell me," she said, and jumped off of the counter. "She said she couldn't."

We all looked away from each other, all of us lost in thought. I crossed my arms and shifted my vision to the wall. I kept seeing visions of Riley in my head. Her smile, her laugh, her weirdness, everything about her that made her unique and special. All of that was taken away by one guy. One pathetic guy. I clenched my teeth and tried to control myself from punching a wall. The anger was making my heart beat fast.

"You guys should get back to class, it's been over five minutes," Maya said. She still wasn't looking at us. Farkle nodded and headed towards the door. He took out the doorstopper and I followed behind him.

Before I left the restroom, I looked back at Maya. She was still standing there, and hadn't moved since we were in that spot with her earlier. After Farkle left, I turned around and held the door open just a little bit. "Are you coming?" I asked her.

"Later," she mumbled, with her arms crossed while facing the ground.

I walked back into the restroom and let the door shut. She didn't look like herself. "Is something wrong?" I asked. She shook her head. I could tell that wasn't the truth. Walking closer to her, I said, "You don't have to hide things from me. I'm your friend, remember?"

"Just get back to your class, cowboy. I'm fine," she answered, facing away from me.

I touched her shoulder. "Maya-"

She turned around quickly and faced me. "What? What do you want me to say?" she asked. I saw her eyes welling up. "I can't say that I'm sad, or that I feel helpless. Who am I to say that? My best friend just got violated by some guy and I'm the one who's sad? That just makes me selfish!" she snapped, looking me in the eyes. "But it hurts. It hurts to know that she's in pain and there's nothing I can do about it. I feel so useless. I'm a horrible friend!"

One tear escaped her eye as she was looking at me. I shook my head. "Maya, you're not-"

"Yes, I am," she said. "I'm supposed to be helping her, just like every other time she needs it. And I can't do it."

More tears started to escape from her eyes and her breathing started to quicken. I pulled her in for a hug and wrapped my arms around her. "Maya, stop beating yourself up over this," I told her. She silently cried onto my chest and I put a hand on the back of her head. "You're doing the best you can, I'm sure Riley knows that."

She sniffled and held on to me. "Don't tell anyone about this, Ranger Rick, Ok?" she attempted to say in a steady voice. Maya could never make herself too vulnerable towards anyone, even her friends.

"Don't worry, I won't," I replied, shaking my head.

She didn't say anything more, and we stayed like that for a few minutes. I only had two things on my mind. First, Riley and Maya, and how badly they were affected by this. And second, how I would kill whoever did this to Riley.

* * *

Riley's POV

Though I had asked my teacher if I could use the bathroom, I wasn't really doing just that. I was roaming the halls for a while, just to get out of that room. Whenever I sat in any one of my classrooms, my mind would go back to that day in detention.

Closing my eyes for a bit, and then opening them again, I took a deep breath and decided to finally go to the restroom. It had been at least ten minutes, and I really needed a quick splash of water on my face to keep me up and running.

I started to speed walk towards the restrooms, almost turning into a jog. I had never missed so much class time before, so I wanted to hurry up.

Finally, the girl's restroom was right in front of me. Quietly, I pushed the door open just a little bit and took one step in before I froze.

I couldn't believe my eyes. This couldn't be happening! "Don't tell anyone about this, Ranger Rick, Ok?" Maya said, while she was hugging Lucas. She was holding onto him so tightly.

"Don't worry, I won't," he said back, pulling her closer.

I wanted to yell at them, and break them away from each other. How could he do this? How could Maya do this? She knew that I liked Lucas a lot, so how could she see him behind my back? Since when did they like each other!? My heart sank the longer I looked at them.

They didn't even notice me when I walked out, and I let the bathroom door silently shut. I looked at the door for a few seconds, wishing I could reopen it and see no one else in there, everything I saw would just have been my imagination. But I knew it wasn't. I wanted to push the door open and tell them that I'd seen everything, but I didn't.

Reluctantly, I turned around and walked away slowly, looking at the ground. I only took a few steps before I felt a hand on the middle of my chest stop me in my tracks. "Hey, long time no see," the person said, and I looked up. It was him. His dark green eyes had an evil look in them and he smirked once he saw the terrified look on my face. I glanced at the bathroom. Maybe I could run in there, if I was fast enough? I took a step back and he gripped my arm. "Don't do that," he ordered, pulling me back to him. "And don't get any ideas about yelling either, you'll regret it.

His touch gave me goosebumps. I wanted his hand off of my arm as quickly as possible. I looked up at him with all the strength I could manage to gather and said, "What do you want?"

His smirk grew just a tiny bit bigger. "I've missed you, Riley. I wanted to know when we could spend some more time together," he said. Chills went down my spine. He looked around the hallway and then back at me. "Now seems like the perfect time for that, doesn't it?"

"No, it doesn't," I replied, and immediately wished I could take it back. If I say one thing, he'll do another.

He laughed and shook his head. "I don't take no for an answer, Riley. You should know that better than anyone."

Moving his grip to my wrist, he started to pull me away. My heart started to beat like a hammer when he forced me to follow behind him. It was probably back to that room. No, I couldn't go back there! I don't think I could take it. I looked back at the restroom door, where Maya and Lucas were. I hoped they'd come out, and save me from him. But the door stayed shut. They wouldn't be able to help me this time, either.

I looked forward again and stopped walking. "Wait!" I said, and he stopped in his tracks. What if he was angry with me now? I had to come up with something fast. He turned around and faced me. "Th-there's only a few minutes left of class," I started, looking him in the eyes. "My teacher would notice if I left my stuff in her classroom and never came back to pick it up."

He looked at me for a few seconds then up at the clock in the hallway. Please let me go, please...

"You've got a point," he said, and loosened his grip on me, but still didn't let go. With his other hand, her grabbed my other wrist and pulled me close towards him. He pressed his lips on mine and I did my best not to pull away. He was going to let me go, and I wasn't about to push my luck. When he finally let go, he said, "I'll see you around, Riley. Next time will be longer visit."

He walked away and turned the corner down a different hallway. I tried to hold back my tears, but one came out. I sighed. It was clear that I'd never be able to escape from this. It would be too impossible to tell my parents what happened. I don't even think I could manage to get the words out. And I didn't even know if my friends were really my friends anymore. With heavy steps, I walked back to class.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry again for the long wait, but here it is :) Hopefully I won't be so busy next time so I can get the next one out sooner. Thanks for staying tuned!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of its characters.**

**Warning: This chapter contains mild violence.**

* * *

Riley's POV

At the breakfast table, I took a look at my cellphone. I had 10 new messages. Having more of my oatmeal that my mom made, I put my phone back down. I knew it was just Maya.

I had avoided her for the rest of the day yesterday. It hurt too much to even think about her. I still couldn't believe what I saw yesterday. I knew other girls might talk to Lucas, or flirt with him, but I never suspected it would be my best friend! I mean, isn't that breaking some sort of girl code?

"Riley," my mom said in a sing song voice. She sat in front of me at the table with her bowl of oatmeal. My dad was still getting Auggie dressed for school, so it was just us. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm okay, I guess," I answered, eating another spoonful of oatmeal.

My mom gave me a curious look. "Are you sure? Is something bothering you?"

Sighing, I looked up from my food. Yes, I was having so many problems. My friends had betrayed me, that day in detention was still haunting me, and I could hardly keep it together anymore. But I guess I could tell her one thing just to ease her mind. My mom could always tell when I was having issues, so letting her help me with one could make her feel better. "I'm having... friend problems."

"What kind of friend problems?" she asked me.

"Well, let's just say that one of my friends betrayed me in some way. This friend took something away that I liked, and this friend knew that I really liked this thing," I said, and saw a bit of confusion on my mom's face. "They'd been keeping it a secret, but I accidentally found out about it, and they have no idea that I know."

My mom smiled. "I remember being in a situation like that, where one of my friends betrayed me," she said. "I was so angry with them, and eventually all of us were angry with each other. We didn't talk to each other about it because we were so mad."

I nodded. "And I haven't been talking to my friend since I found out either," I added in, tapping my spoon against the table gently.

"But then we realized that this little problem we were upset about was capable of turning into a bigger one. It wasn't worth losing our friendship over."

"So, what did you do?" I asked, interested.

She smiled. "We talked about it. Everyone had a unique side to the story, and everyone was upset about different things. I was upset that I was being excluded since we were in a pranking competition. Eventually one of the pranks went too far, and part of the blame went to me, even though I had nothing to do with it," she said. "Long story short, talk to your friends. Maybe the problem isn't as bad as it seems."

I nodded, but deep down inside I knew I wouldn't be able to do it. I couldn't even think about talking to Maya right now. What if she was already on her way here? I didn't want to run into her right now. I picked up my bag and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going? Maya isn't here yet," my mom said.

I had to come up with something fast. "Um, I know. She's... waiting for me. Downstairs. I mean, at the subway."

My mom raised an eyebrow but nodded. I gave her a small smile and slipped through the front door and shut it fast. I wasn't good at making things up on the spot. That's usually an area I went to Maya for help with. But of course, she couldn't help me with this problem.

The more I thought about it, the more I didn't want to go to school. I would be having a few classes with her, all of them classes before lunch. I'd just wait out at the subway station until I knew I would be there at lunch time. Just thinking about ditching made me nervous. Ditching isn't me, it isn't the Riley I know. But I wasn't ever feeling like Riley anymore these days.

* * *

Before I knew it, it was already time for lunch, meaning it was time for me to arrive at school. My heart was racing while I walked through the halls, hoping that no teachers noticed me coming in late. Luckily, they didn't.

But my dad probably figured that out when I didn't show up to his class. I was going to be in so much trouble...

I walked through the doors and into the cafeteria, the sound of talking filling my ears. The cafeteria seemed to have even more students in it than ever. It was crowded, and it made me uncomfortable. I couldn't find a table to sit down at.

Pushing my way through the crowd, I had my eye on an empty table in a far off corner. How convenient was that?

Before I could take any more steps, someone stepped in front of me. "Hey," Maya said, "Where have you been? You're dad's been looking for you. And you haven't been answering your phone."

I shrugged, not looking her in the eye. All I wanted was to get out of there and away from her. It would be too much to face her right now.

"Are you okay, Riley?" she asked me, sounding concerned.

I started to try and walk past her, but she kept up with me. "Riley-"

"No," I responded, stopping in my tracks. "Maya, I'm not okay."

I turned around and she looked me in the eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I saw you yesterday, Maya," I responded.

She looked confused. "Yeah, I saw you yesterday too. We had a sleepover, remember?"

"No, I mean here at school," I replied. "In the bathroom. With Lucas."

Maya's face went from confused to shocked. "What? How? What did you-"

"I heard everything I had to hear, Maya. How could you do this?"

"Riley, I didn't mean to hurt you," she said.

What? She didn't mean to hurt me!? "How could you think this wouldn't hurt me?" I said in a louder voice, trying to make myself heard over the voices filling the cafeteria.

"I didn't know who else to turn to, Riley."

"Couldn't you have picked someone who isn't Lucas?!"

"Like who?!"

I was getting angry. There were plenty of guys at this school! "I don't know, but not Lucas!"

"Well since we're getting this off our chests, I turned to Farkle too."

Now I was confused. "Farkle?" I asked. Is she trying to joke around with me? This isn't funny at all! "Maya, I'm not joking here. What you did was wrong!"

I could tell Maya was getting angry too. "What I did wasn't wrong at all, Riley! I was only trying to-"

"Trying to what? Make yourself feel better?" I snapped at her.

"You're acting really selfish, Riley. I was only trying to be a good friend," she snapped back at me.

She wasn't making any sense to me at all. "How is that.." I trailed off and looked around me and Maya. There was a crowd surrounding us, some with their phones out.

"Hey, they're about to fight!" one of them said, and the others started to chant.

"Fight, fight, fight, fight!" They exclaimed, and Maya and I looked at each other. I was angry with Maya, but I couldn't hit her. I don't think she would hit me either.

Maya looked at me with anger, but started to back away. A girl who was standing behind her looked annoyed and put her hands out. "Fight already!" she yelled, and pushed Maya forward. She bumped right into me and we fell. My head hit the ground so hard, I was sure I'd have a bruise. When I opened my eyes, my vision was blurry. The crowd cheered, but I heard a voice through all of the kids' screaming.

"Everyone, move!" someone yelled, obviously an adult. I felt Maya being pulled off of me, and the adult said, "Principal's office, now!"

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't manage to get myself up. "Oh my god, she's bleeding!" someone yelled. I was bleeding?! My head hurt so bad.

Finally, my vision started to clear up. I saw a figure hovering over me. "Riley, are you alright?" they said. It was my dad. I'm wasn't sure if he was still angry with me for missing his class, but he probably wasn't thinking about that right now.

I tried to sit up, but my head was aching too badly for me to do anything. "Let's get you to the nurse's office, okay?" he said, and helped me up.

* * *

Maya's POV

"Detention!?"

"For the rest of the week!" the principle said, sitting down at his desk. He started typing something on his computer.

I had been sitting here for a while, waiting for him to finish interviewing people who had video taped my "fight" with Riley. It was almost time for school to end and I was still stuck in here.

I know Riley didn't want me to tell anyone about what happened to her in detention, but the secret was eating me alive. If she had a different secret, like stealing or sneaking out, keeping it wouldn't have been a problem. But this is so much more serious. What if this jerk tries to hurt her again? What if I'm not there to stop it? Someone else needs to know. I didn't expect her to flip out over it like she did. Lucas cares about her a lot, its easy to see that. And she really likes him. Why should she be so upset that I told him? He's trustworthy.

Shaking my head, I looked at the principal. "But I didn't fight Riley! Someone pushed me," I replied, desperate for some kind of sympathy.

"The video doesn't make that clear. I saw it less than a minute ago, Ms. Hart," he said back, pressing a final key on his keyboard.

"But it isn't fair!" I yelled back at him. I would never hurt Riley. No matter what happens, she comes first. She is more like family to me than anyone else has been in my life. She's basically all I have.

The principal handed me a paper for my mother to sign, which might as well had gone in the trash the moment I got it. "You're right, it isn't fair. I should have alerted the authorities about this altercation," he replied back. I rolled my eyes and leaned back into my chair. He wasn't going to budge. "Ms. Matthews received a blow to her head and is bleeding."

Wait, bleeding? I didn't know she was that hurt! My eyes widened as I thought of Riles. I wanted to see her right now and apologize to her. I also wanted to find whoever pushed me into Riley so I could beat them up. That idiot!

The principal continued. "But I didn't. Be thankful for that and don't make me change my mind," he said, and sat up again. "Now, school is almost over, so go ahead and go to detention right now in the classroom on that paper I gave you. Hurry up!"

Letting out an angry groan, I grabbed my school bag and left his office. Now I'd have to wait even longer to see Riley. I hurried through the halls so I could get to detention and get it over with already. Just two hours of torture. It wouldn't be so bad, would it? Who am I kidding, of course it would! But it's not like I have any parents that would care.

When I finally reached the classroom, I opened the door and saw two students already there. I looked over at the teacher. She didn't look up and just waved her hand at me. "Sit anywhere, just hurry up."

Adults could be so rude sometimes. I sighed and sat down one seat away from some other kid and put down my school bag. Looking up at the clock, I saw that I had two hours and thirty minutes to go.

Why me? Seriously though, why? I haven't been that bad this week, and I didn't do anything to deserve this detention. I should be having good luck, like finding a twenty walking home, having my mom come home early, and most importantly, finding a way to fix Riley, instead of her doing the fixing all of the time. It's hard to do anything to help her when she won't tell me anything. I want my best friend back.

"Hey," the kid nearest to me said. "Heard you got in a fight with Matthews."

I looked over at him and said, "I'm not in the mood, kid."

He smirked at me, his green piercing eyes staring back at me. Shrugging, he turned forward and away from me. I put my head down on my desk. Great, now I have a bad reputation. Well, a reputation worse than the one I already had.


	5. Chapter 5

**Uploaded a bit later than I wanted to because of computer issues, but now I'm back! There are only about 2-3 chapters left to this story. Next chapter should be uploaded in the next few days, so stay tuned. I apologize for any grammar errors that I have missed. **

**Warning: This chapter contains mild violence and subjects that may be sensitive to some readers.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of its characters.**

* * *

Maya's POV

One hour had finally passed. One hour! I'd be twenty and ancient by the time I got out of here. My eyes were drooping because of how bored and tired I was. The detention teacher said no one could talk, or else they'd have to sit outside. She meant literally outside. It was freezing out there, and I would not speak a word no matter what.

Some people had already fallen asleep, a few sounds of snoring here and there. There were only five people in detention today, including me. They all probably knew what I was in here for. I had to get that lie cleared up fast once I was out of here. What if Lucas or Farkle heard, and thought I was a jerk? I mean, I already told them Riley's situation, and now they would hear that I "fought" her? It just isn't right.

I started to nod off into sleep before someone tapped my shoulder. "Hey," someone said to me. I looked over and it was the same kid that had talked to me earlier. "What's your name?"

What was wrong with this kid? Did he want to sit outside in the cold? There was no way I was going to answer him. I faced forward and put my head down on my desk. The freaks I have to deal with...

"Hey, I asked you a question," he whispered, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Don't want to tell me your name?"

I shook my shoulder and his hand off of it, and sighed. One hour and thirty minutes. Don't ruin it now.

I heard him move to the chair next to mine. "Come on, she won't hear you," he whispered again.

"Dude, shut up," I said, keeping my head down.

"Maya! Jason! Outside now!" the teacher yelled, waking up the other students who were sleeping.

Just great! I groaned and picked up my school bag, stomping out of the room. This day just keeps getting worse. And I couldn't even ditch, because I know she would send someone to check on us at some point during detention.

Fast walking through the halls, I felt a hand on my shoulder slow me down. "Why the rush? It's cold out there," the guy said to me with a small smile.

"Oh really? I didn't notice," I replied sarcastically, and kept walking. I was not very happy with him. Actually, that was an understatement. I was angry.

"So your name is Maya? I was hoping you would tell me yourself instead of the teacher, but that's alright," he said, walking by my side.

I faced him. "And you're Jason. Nice to meet you. Now stop talking," I replied, and pushed my way through one of the school exit doors. I sat down on one of the steps and put my school bag at my side. Shivering, I folded my arms and let out a breath of air. It was so cold.

Jason sat next to me and grinned. "You know, I like girls that're feisty," he told me, leaning a little forward to get a better look at me.

I grimaced at him. "Gross," I replied, turning away from him. I wasn't in the mood for this. "I'm not interested."

"Oh, you got your eye on someone else?" he questioned me, scooting closer.

I thought about Joshua, Riley's uncle. It was weird to call him her uncle since he really wasn't much older than her, or me, but that's what he was. I had a massive crush on him, and no one else. "Actually, I do," I replied to Jason. "So you might as well stop talking now."

He chuckled. "Girls never say no to me. I've gotten every girl I wanted to be with," he replied, and I rolled my eyes. He was being a bit too confident now, bordering on arrogant.

"I doubt that," I said back, still not looking at him. What kind of respectable girl would go out with him?

"Well," he started. "I'm sure that girl Riley wouldn't agree with you."

My blood ran cold when I heard him say that. What did he mean? How did he know Riley? I cleared my throat and tried to collect myself. "What do you mean?" I asked, still not looking his way.

"She and I got to know each other a few days ago," he replied, and laughed. "That girl couldn't get enough of me."

This couldn't be happening. He did this to her. I was sitting next to my best friend's rapist! I turned to him and got a good look at him. Black hair, dark green eyes, and a smirk on his face that just looked evil. I hated him. "It was you," I said, and scooted away from him. "You did this to her."

"She was begging for it, Maya. Don't let her fool you," Jason replied, and tried to put a hand on my knee.

"Don't!" I yelled at him, standing up. "Don't even think about laying a finger on me. Once the principal finds out what you did, you'll-"

"I'll what?" he asked, standing up. He had a blank expression on his face that really creeped me out. "You won't tell anyone."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh yes I will," I replied. "Watch me, Jason."

Turning around, I put my hand on the door knob. He grabbed my hand to stop me. "I know your type, Maya," he said, standing close to me. "You're one of those girls that tries to act tough in front of everyone, but really, you're broken on the inside. Admit it."

I frowned and looked down. He was just trying to get into my head. I couldn't let him. "You don't know me," I replied, and tried to get his hand off of mine. It didn't budge. He was still standing behind me, keeping me from entering the school. "You think you can hurt my best friend and expect me not to do anything about it? You have no idea who I am."

He chuckled. "Oh, I know that. But you might think differently if I tell you I just might hurt Riley again. Or, since you're here, hurt you," he said, and I felt something sharp against the side of my stomach. I squeezed my eyes shut. He had a knife. I clenched my fists in anger. I should have been more careful. "Turn around," he ordered, and I did, giving him a glare. He had a grin on his face. He pushed me into the door behind us and held me there. "Listen to me," he said in a low voice. He didn't look happy anymore. "Don't tell anyone, and no one gets hurt. Got it?"

He took his hand off of me and let me go. We stood there for a couple of seconds before he started reaching out to touch the side of my face. The nerve of this guy! I stopped that quick and smacked his hand out of the way. "I'll mess you up," I hissed at him, and went to get my school bag. As I started to walk away, he called out.

"One more thing," he said, and I stopped in my tracks without turning around. "Riley was so easy."

My blood started to boil and I walked away even faster. I could hear him laughing in the distance, and it made me want to punch something. He wouldn't get away with this. I don't care if I get hurt anymore. Riley is the only thing that matters right now.

* * *

Riley's POV

"When are you going to be better, Riley?" Auggie asked me, sitting on my bed. I smiled at him, and managed to sit up. My head was still throbbing but it was much better than before.

"Tomorrow, Auggie. It's not that bad," I reassured him, even though I had a mild concussion. I just had to stay awake for a while and rest up. It only was going to take a few hours. "I'll be Ok."

He nodded, and then spoke up again. "Why did Maya hurt you?"

I shook my head. "She didn't mean to hurt me," I replied, thinking about the incident. It was hard to remember, but I'm sure she didn't mean it. I hope she didn't mean it. "We were just having a little fight."

Auggie seemed to be thinking about what I just said when my parents walked in. "Alright Auggie," my mom said, and went over to my bed. "Let's let Riley rest for a little while, okay?" she asked him, and picked him up. My dad came over to my bed, too.

"Feeling okay?" he asked me, with a small smile.

I lied and said, "I think I'm getting better."

I really wasn't. My head hurt and my friends weren't here with me. Not that I really wanted them to be. Actually, I wasn't sure what I wanted. I gave them a fake smile, and they gave me a real one back. "Rest up, Riley," my mom said, and both of them left my room, turned the light switch off, and closed the door.

I leaned back on my bed and sighed. This week couldn't get any worse. So much had happened in just a few days, and it wasn't anything good. I changed so much, and I didn't feel like myself.

The room was quiet, and to tell the truth, a little lonely. It was too overwhelming to have my parents with me yet I wanted someone to be with me here. Someone like Maya. But she wasn't coming. It was getting late and I would have to go to bed soon, and so would she. Anyway, she was probably still mad at me for our argument earlier. I was still angry with her too, though I didn't want to be. How could she see Lucas behind my back?

I heard a knock come from somewhere and I stayed lying down. "Come in," I said, and waited for the door to open. Nothing. I raised an eyebrow but stayed on my bed. There was another knock, but I could tell it wasn't coming from my bedroom door.

My heart beating a little bit faster now, I sat up and turned on the lamp on my nightstand. I looked around but saw nothing, except for my usual room. The dim light of my lamp didn't let me see much, though. Another knock came out, and I turned my head directly towards my window.

There was a figure standing behind it. It opened the window and started to climb in. I was stuck in place. Should I yell to my parents? Scream? Get up and defend myself? No, that wouldn't work. I decided I would speak up.

"What do you want?" I asked, still looking at the figure walking closer and closer towards me.

"I just want to talk, if that's okay," it said, and finally came into view. It was Lucas.

I sighed in relief. "You could have at least announced yourself when you came in," I said, pulling the covers off of myself and hanging my legs over the edge of the bed so that my feet were touching the ground. "You had me scared for a second."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking about that," he replied, and sat on my bed, a good distance away from me.

There was an awkward silence before he started to talk again. "I just wanted to tell you," he started, and I looked over at him. He looked nervous. "Maya told-"

"Riley!" a girl's voice called through the window. Maya came rushing in,

"Why is everyone coming in through my window? I have a front door, you know?" I asked, but she ignored me.

"Riley," she said again. "I'm so sorry about earlier, I should have never gotten mad at you. I know what I did was wrong, but I just wanted to help you."

This again? "Maya, I still don't understand. How was that supposed to help me at all? You aren't making sense."

Lucas turned toward me and said, "Riley, she didn't mean to make you feel like this. She's a really great friend, she wouldn't hurt you on purpose."

"What?" I asked, so confused. "But I saw everything! You guys were hugging in the bathroom and Maya asked you not to tell anyone. Now what was that supposed to mean!?"

Maya looked shocked. "Riles, you mean you thought that...?"

"Maya and I were...?" Lucas added, and they both looked at each other, shuddering.

"Riley, I would never do that to you. You're my friend. I'd always tell you if I liked someone, especially Lucas."

Lucas started to blush, and I got embarrassed. He must have been surprised to hear that. I forgot that I only had a crush on Lucas, and we weren't boyfriend and girlfriend.

I nodded. "I guess it was just one big misunderstanding," I replied.

"Yeah it was," she said back. "He was just comforting me after I told Farkle and Lucas what happened to you, only because they were worried about you."

My eyes went wide. "Wait, you did what?!" I exclaimed, and looked up at her. She told Lucas what happened to me? I didn't want anyone to know! I couldn't even look at him now. I was too ashamed to see him.

"Riley, that doesn't matter right now," she replied quickly, and I covered my face, still feeling embarrassed. She sighed. "Riles, I know who did it."

I shook my head. "No you don't," I said back, not believing her. There's no way she could have figured it out.

"His name is Jason, isn't it?" she asked.

I took my face out of my hands. That name made me cringe. I hated hearing it. "How did you-"

"I talked to him today," she replied. No! She talked to him? Did she make it obvious she knew what he did to me? That he... I couldn't even think about it. I could still hear his voice in my head.

_You wanted this! You were practically begging for it._

I tried not to think about it, but he wouldn't get out of my head. He made me feel so weak.

_I don't take no for an answer, Riley. You should know that better than anyone._

It was like I was in that room again with him. I should have just ran past him and escaped. Why didn't I do anything? I let him trap me in there, and I didn't do anything to stop it. Maybe I could have done something. Tears started to fill my eyes.

Lucas sat closer and wrapped his arms around me. "Riley, it's okay. He isn't going to hurt you," he said, holding me close.

"How do you know that?" I asked him, resting my head on his chest.

"Because," Maya said. "Now we know who this guy is, and we can take care of him for you."

I looked up and saw Lucas nod. "He's not getting away with this."

I shook my head. "You guys, please don't. What if he hurts you?" I said, looking at both of them.

Maya looked down when I said that, and seemed to be deep in thought. She looked back at me and said, "It doesn't matter. I hate him for what he did to you, and how he talks about you. It isn't right."

"What did he say?" Lucas asked Maya, concerned.

Maya thought about his question and glared. "He said Riley was... begging for what happened, and that she was easy," she struggled to say.

"Easy?" I asked, confused.

She looked at me. "Easy to convince to do certain "things" with," she replied, trying to avoid using a certain word.

"Oh," I replied, looking down. So he was basically calling me a slut? Maybe I was. I didn't know anymore.

I saw Lucas clench one of his fists, and he spoke up. "Don't believe that, Riley. You're not. He's an idiot, and we'll make sure he gets what's coming to him," he said, and sounded angry. It was weird to hear Lucas angry; he was usually so calm and reasonable. Now he seemed impulsive, like he was acting on his emotions. He could really hurt Jason, and Jason could really hurt him. That scared me.

I didn't want my friends to get hurt. This was all my fault. If I hadn't been so stupid and followed him into that room. If I hadn't froze up when he hit my face. If only I tried harder to fight back.

"I don't want you guys to get hurt," I replied, and sat up and moved away from Lucas. "This is all my fault and I need to fix it on my own."

"Riles, this isn't your fault!" Maya declared, stepping closer and sitting down next to me on my bed. "I know you want to fix things, like you always do, but you need to trust your friends this time, okay?"

I nodded and smiled. "Thanks, guys," I said. It felt weird to smile after not smiling for a long time. I appreciated them trying to help, but I was still going to do this on my own. I'd be stronger this time. I wouldn't be the same girl I was last time. I could redeem myself. The thought of that made me happy.

"You don't have to thank me, I owe you one, remember?" she asked, and I thought back to the day I gave her some lunch money. I let out a small laugh, and it made Lucas smile. For a moment, I felt safe. But I knew it wouldn't last long.


	6. Chapter 6

**Attention, this is chapter 6. Read this one first, since I'm posting Chapter 7 in about three hours and I don't want anyone to get confused. Thanks for waiting, the next chapter is much longer and is being posted soon :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Girl Meets World or any of the characters.**

* * *

Riley's POV

I decided that I wouldn't be noticeably sad today, unlike other days in school. I had to look normal if I was going to confront "him". Looking in the mirror, I examined my outfit. I had on one of my normal outfits. A light blue jacket, a black shirt, and a black and white polka dot skirt. This way, maybe people wouldn't notice that I was shaking in my boots, literally.

My gaze shifted up to my face. I looked different. I wasn't the same girl I was only a few days ago. For some reason, I felt like I looked older. Maybe that was because in this short amount of time, I was forced to grow up. I didn't want to, but there was no turning back now.

I had to hurry and get to school. I wasn't going to look for "him" until lunch time, but I wanted to be prepared. And Maya couldn't know about this.

Nearly bursting out of my room, and grabbed my school bag and headed straight for the door. "Riley," Auggie said, pointing at the table. "Your breakfast!"

My mom looked over at me for my response. "I'm not hungry, but thanks," I said, and left the house. My mom looked concerned for me, and it just made me feel worse. Making my way to the subway, I pulled out my phone and texted Maya.

My dad is taking me to school, see you there!

I put my phone back into my skirt pocket and kept on walking. Paranoid, I looked around to make sure I was safe. I was going to confront him today, finally. But on the inside, I was freaking out. I just want to make sure he doesn't hurt any of my friends, and that they aren't involved in this. This whole situation is my entire fault. I was too busy living in my own world that I forgot how easy it is for other worlds to collide together. And not in a good way.

* * *

"You guys, there's an assembly in an hour! We're missing class!" Maya exclaimed as we sat down at the table with Lucas and Farkle.

Lucas smiled. "I've never seen you happier about anything before," he said jokingly.

She raised an eyebrow and gave him a look before sitting down. "Don't ruin my buzz, cowboy."

Farkle was looking down at his food, and didn't say anything. It was weird. Usually he would say something flirty or clever to me or Maya, but he just sat there poking at his food with his fork.

"Hi, Farkle," I said to him, causing him to look up. He had an interesting expression in his face, and I couldn't read it.

He nodded and smiled, then got up. "I'll be right back, guys. I have some... business to take care of. See you later."

Farkle got up from his seat and left, but Maya and Lucas didn't seem to notice. "Remember, small gym in the schoolhouse, okay?" Maya asked him, and took a bite of the flavorless lunch.

He nodded. "Bring the frisbees," he said back.

I was confused. "What are you two talking about?" I asked. They both looked at me and shrugged.

"Nothing," they said, at the same time.

I raised an eyebrow. "That didn't sound suspicious at all," I replied sarcastically, and Maya smiled.

"Nothing to worry about. We just have to bring some equipment to the PE teacher later," she said, and started to dump her food onto my plate. "Quit worrying about me and eat. You could use some more meat on these bones," she said, lightly pinching my arm.

"My arms aren't that skinny. And hey, I could say the same about you," I said, and pinched her arm back. We both laughed and I looked down at my food. It looked gross. How could I eat this?

"You look perfect Riley," Lucas told me, giving me a smile. I blushed and smiled back at him. He looked over at Maya. "And I guess you too, Hart."

She stuck her tongue out at him and pulled out her phone. "Thanks, Lucas," I said back, and took a small bite out of the food. I cringed. I think that's enough lunch food for today.

I pulled out my phone and looked at the time. Only a few minutes until lunch ended. I had to find Jason soon and try to convince him to back off of my friends. I put my phone away in my school bag and stood up. "I'm going to use the restroom before lunch ends. See you two later," I said, and waved goodbye. They both waved back at me and I walked off.

Outside of the cafeteria, I looked around the halls for him. Where would he be? It had to be a place no one else would go. I sighed. It couldn't be the abandoned hallway, could it? I shook my head. It probably was. I had been avoiding going near that place for days now, but I had to protect my friends at all costs.

What scared me the most was that there was no one else in the halls right now. They were probably all waiting to go to the assembly, far away from where I was heading. I would be totally alone with him. Hopefully this time I'd be prepared to get out of there quick.

Once I reached the hallway, I saw him. He was standing far back in the hallway kissing the girl I saw him walking with only a few days ago. He had a girlfriend? How could he? Does she know what kind of person he is?

I nervously walked up to them at a slow pace. They didn't notice me yet. Maybe if this girl was here, he wouldn't try anything bad.

I decided to speak up. "Um... I-" I managed to get out before he looked up at me. My fear caught up with me and I couldn't talk. This was a stupid idea.

He grinned and turned to his girlfriend. "Why don't you wait for me in the auditorium," he said to her. She had light brown hair and a lot of make up on. They must have been in 9th grade, making them at least one or two years older than me.

"Fine," she said, giving him a smile and walking away. Without her here, he could really do anything without anyone hearing.  
"So," he said, crossing his arms and leaning back against a wall. "You came back."

I cleared my throat. "I... just wanted to tell you... not to bring my friends into this, because it's not their fault," I managed to get out, my voice quivering.

"Friends?" he asked. Then he laughed. "Oh, you mean the blonde chick? She was really pretty," he said, standing up straight now. "Very hot. Is she single? Not like that would stop me..."

"Don't do anything to her, please," I said. I wouldn't want Maya to feel the same way I felt after what he did to me. I could hardly even speak to him.

He shook his head. "Don't worry about your little friend," he said, and walked closer to me. "I've got a thing for brunettes."

He took his hand and brushed some of my hair behind my ear. I backed away and said, "Jason, don't."

I knew this was a bad idea. I should just run away before he tries to do anything. How could I be so stupid?! I felt like breaking down and crying.

I backed up again before he caught my wrist. "Don't tell me what to do," he said to me angrily, and pulled me closer.


	7. Chapter 7

**Attention, make sure to read chapter 6 first, uploaded only three hours before this one was. Thanks for waiting, and thanks for reviewing :)**

**Warning: This chapter contains foul/offensive language and violence.**

* * *

The Cafeteria

Cory Matthews was on cafeteria duty today. After the fight that broke out between Riley and Maya, the school wanted the lunch room closely monitored for at least a week. He walked around aimlessly, not knowing what to do.

His daughter was acting strange all week, ever since that Monday she came home late. She had skipped his class a few times, stayed in her room more than usual, and got into a fight with her best friend. What had gotten into her?

He grabbed a tray of lunch food and sat at an empty table. He didn't get why the kids hated this food; it wasn't that bad. While taking a big spoonful, two seventh grade girls from one of Riley's classes walked by. Cory recognized them since they were the same age as she was, going to school together since elementary.

"Did you see the fight between Maya and Riley?" one of them said.

"No," the other girl whined. "I missed it. I heard they were fighting over that kid who came to the school this year from Texas. Lucas?"

Her friend nodded. "Yeah. I guess Maya was hitting on Lucas and Riley got jealous, and then they fought."

"Why would Riley be jealous?"

"Because," the girl said, and tried to lower her voice. "Riley and Lucas are a thing, and they're getting serious."

Cory jumped at her words. "WHAT!?" he exclaimed, and the two girls turned around. They looked terrified.

"Mr. Matthews!?" they both exclaimed, and looked at each other. They both turned around and ran out of the cafeteria.

"Wait!" Cory called out, but they were gone in the blink of an eye. He looked around for them, but didn't seem to find them.

He looked ahead and saw him. Lucas was sitting at a table with Maya, talking to each other. He felt anger rush through him. In his mind he had no doubt that this was going to be the day he lost his job, and he was going to kill Lucas. He began to stride over to them before someone grabbed his arm.

"Mr. Matthews?" a boy asked, looking up at him. "The principal wants to see you in the security office."

Cory was confused. Had he killed Lucas already? He looked back at the table. Nope, Lucas was still sitting there with Maya. "Can this wait?" he asked, fighting the urge to run over to Lucas and teach him a lesson.

"He said immediately," the kid responded, and walked away.

Cory groaned and forced himself to walk away and leave the cafeteria. Lucas would be safe for now.

* * *

Security Office

Mr. Matthews finally stepped into the security office. There, the principle and Farkle were waiting for him. Cory raised an eyebrow at them.

"What's going on?" he asked, and closed the door behind him.

The principal shrugged. "Your student Farkle Minkus claims that it is something important that we both need to see."

Cory turned to Farkle, and Farkle nodded. "It's about Riley," he said, and went to work on one of the computers there. "Have you noticed that she's been acting strange?"

Cory nodded. "Yes, I have, but what does that have to do with any of this? I need to watch the cafeteria," he said, thinking about Lucas and what the two girls said about him and Riley. The last thing he wanted them to be was a couple. Even worse, a "serious" one.

"And, she has been acting strange since Monday?" Farkle asked, clicking some more.  
Cory started to wonder how he knew that. Was it that obvious to her friends too? "Yes actually, she has. How do you-"

"Mr. Matthews," he said, and took a deep breath. The principal crossed his arms and waited for him to speak. "Riley was hurt that day. It was after school when she was leaving detention. And the security camera evidence," he said, and pointed to a file on the computer, "is here."

Cory raised an eyebrow. "Evidence? What do you mean?"

Then, he thought back to that Monday. Riley came home late, and was so evasive. Her face had red marks, and she used a fight as an excuse. She didn't want to be close to her mom, and she quickly went into her room and never came back out for dinner. Someone hurt her. He knew it all along, but wasn't sure until now.

Farkle stood up. "I'm sure this is the right footage from Monday, but I don't think I can watch it, if that's okay with you," he sighed, and walked to the door. "I'm really sorry, Mr. Matthews," he said, and left.

The principal and Cory looked at each other. They knew that now, they had to see what Farkle had found. The principal went over to the computer and sighed. "Well, let's see what this is about," he said, and clicked on the file.

The footage started to play, and it wasn't the best quality. The video was a little dark, and it was of an empty storage room. It was filming from a corner in the ceiling.

Cory was a little nervous. What could this have to do with Riley? Did some girls beat her up or play some kind of cruel prank on her? Was it about Lucas? God, he hoped it wasn't about Lucas! Was it something worse?

It seemed like forever before the door in the video finally opened, and in walked a small dark figure. The lights turned on, showing a pixelated Riley. She slowly walked in and seemed to be looking around.

Then he noticed a figure behind her. A boy, but it wasn't Lucas. Riley had never talked about this guy before. Who was he?

The boy had turned around and closed the door, and locked it. Cory saw Riley turn around and back up as the boy stepped closer. Cory tensed up, he didn't like where this was headed. The boy grabbed her hands and pushed her back against the table, and Cory turned around. "No!" he yelled in anger. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It couldn't be right! He ran a hand through his hair and turned back around to see the boy slap Riley across the face. Cory's heart was beating fast with rage. "Damn it!" he yelled and went to the office door and slammed his hand on it. This is what happened to Riley? This!? He couldn't wrap his head around the idea. "This can't be happening..." he said, putting a hand against the door and leaning on it.

"Cory, I..." the principal said, hoping to find words to calm him down. He didn't know what to say, and just stayed silent. Cory put his hands on his head and paced around. What was he going to do? His daughter was...

He couldn't even think about it. It made him angry. He wanted to kill this guy who did this to his daughter. Cory turned to the principal. "Find out who he is."

* * *

Riley's POV

I backed up again before he caught my wrist. "Don't tell me what to do," Jason said to me angrily, and pulled me closer.

I pulled my wrist back away. This would not happen again. I was tired of feeling victimized every day. It had to stop. "Let me go," I said, and attempted to walk away.

When I turned around, Jason grabbed me by my hair. I screamed and he put a hand over my mouth. "You could've done this the easy way, Riley," he said in my ear, and led me to that same room that I hated so much. I kicked and tried to use my arms to hit him, but he was too strong.

"No!" I screamed, and he out his hand tighter around my mouth. He opened the door to the room and threw me onto the floor. I slid and hit the table on the ground, and grabbed at my side with my hands. That probably bruised me. I looked up and saw him towering over me.

I looked to my side and saw a wrench on the ground. Quickly, I grabbed it and threw it at him. It missed, and made him angrier. "Are you trying to hurt me?" he asked. He didn't wait for an answer, and hit me in the face with his fist. I let out a yelp, and my nose felt like it was broken. A tear streamed down my face as I held my nose, but I wasn't going to give up yet.

Moving fast, I moved to the side and got up. I ran straight for the door. "Get back here!" He yelled at me, but I had already opened the door. I stumbled out and he followed after, and I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.

"Riley?" Maya asked, standing far away from me. She honestly looked scared, something I hardly saw from her. Maya knew Jason, and what he could do. Lucas was standing beside her, but he wasn't looking at me, he was looking at Jason.

"Who are you?" Lucas asked angrily, walked over to us quickly.

My heart started to beat fast. They were going to fight. I wanted my friends to stay out of this. "Lucas," I said, and stepped forward. "Please, just-" I said, but stopped when I felt something drip down on my face. Lucas looked at me, and I realized my nose was bleeding.

He walked past me and in front of Jason. They were about the same height and glaring at each other. "Who. Are. You?" Lucas ordered him to answer.

Jason grinned, and stepped closer to Lucas. "I'm the guy who fucked your girlfriend," he said, pushing Lucas away. That made Lucas really angry. I could see it in the way he clenched his fists and the way his eyes glared. He swung a fist and hit Jason in the face. I gasped, because Lucas was never this violent before. I had never seen him hit someone. Jason only stumbled about one step back before he looked back up at Lucas. He used his hand and wiped blood away from his nose. Jason didn't back down and punched him back, and they both started fighting.

I looked over to Maya, who was frozen in place. She had never been this afraid before. She saw me looking at her and quickly started to make her way over to us.

When I looked back at Lucas and Jason, I saw Jason pull something out of his pocket. It was metal and sharp. I panicked and pushed Jason away. "Don't!" I yelled, and Jason wasn't happy about that. He took the object and swiped it across my stomach. I clutched my stomach with my hands and he pushed me away hard. With more pain than I could handle coming from my stomach, I stumbled and fell into a stack of old desks that were in a corner. The one on the top started to fall, but I was too weak to move away.

It finally lost its balance and fell. The desk landed right on my ankle, and I yelped in pain. "Riley!" Maya exclaimed, and ran over to me. Kneeling down, she pushed the desk off of me and propped me against the wall. I squeezed my eyes shut at the pain.

"Maya," I said, but I couldn't finish my sentence. I let out a small cry and grabbed my stomach harder. It felt like it was on fire.

"Riley," she said, "Lucas and I called the police already, they should be here any second now, maybe with an ambulance, I don't know. But just hold on, okay?"

I shook my head. Everything hurt too much. My stomach, my leg, my nose was possibly broken, and Lucas and Jason were still fighting. I didn't want him to get hurt, and it was making me go crazy. "Maya, I can't, it hurts," I said, and doubled over in pain.

She put me back against the wall. "Just stay still Riley, you'll be okay," she said, and looked at me. Her face was getting blurry, and my eyes were starting to shut. I tried to get myself to stay awake, but I couldn't. I was sure the pain was taking a toll on my body. "No, no, no Riley, you need to stay awake," she said frantically, lightly shaking my shoulders.

I tried to tell her I was going to be fine, but I couldn't talk anymore. I felt more and more lightheaded by the second, and my eyes could hardly stay open anymore. Maya put a hand on my face. "Riles?! Can you hear me? Riley?!..."


	8. Chapter 8

**Wow, this took longer than I ever thought it would... Sorry for the long wait! I actually had this chapter done months ago but got so busy with school I never uploaded. I feel so bad for that, especially since the story is nearing its end. But here it is, hope you guys enjoy! I apologize for any grammar errors in advance!**

**Warning: This chapter contains sensitive subjects and mentions of violence.**

* * *

Maya's POV

I shook Riley and tried to get her to wake up. "Riley!" I yelled one more time, before I gave up. Tears fell down my face as I looked at her, laying there unconsciously. I was supposed to protect her. I was supposed to look out for her, and make sure she was always safe. Now here she was, hurt and passed out.

She was the closest thing to family I ever had, and I let her down. I turned around and saw that the police were running towards us. They quickly broke up the fight and started to restrain Jason. Lucas had blood on his face and looked tired. The anger still hadn't faded from his face. He watched as they handcuffed Jason, and Lucas looked as if he wanted to run past those officers and finish his fight.

I looked back at Riley and knew I had to tell someone quick. "Lucas!" I called out, and he turned around to look at me. He shifted his gaze from me to Riley, and I saw fear appear in his eyes. Yeah, he was scared. There was no doubt about that.

He came over to us and knelt down. "Riley?" he asked, and grabbed her shoulders. He turned back to me and asked, "What's wrong with her?"

Before I could answer, paramedics were already heading toward us. "She's still breathing," I told Lucas quickly, and the paramedics arrived.

I looked at Riley one more time. She had red stains on her hand, but the blood on her black shirt wasn't too visible. Her nose had a little bit of blood coming out of it. It looked like it must have hurt. I looked down at her ankle and saw the red mark from the desk that fell on her. How could I have let all of this happen?

They lifted Riley onto the gurney and started to wheel her away. Lucas walked fast alongside Riley, worried. Everything was going by too fast. I couldn't keep up with it. One minute we were having a good time at lunch, the next, we were in this situation. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this. Lucas and I went over the plan at lunch, and made sure Riley didn't know what we were talking about. Why was she here with Jason? What did he do to her before we got here? When I saw her stumbling out of that room with Jason behind her, I was beyond scared. I thought it had happened again, that he hurt her again, after I had promised she didn't have to worry about him anymore. Look at me, making promises I can't keep. What kind of friend does that make me?

I walked far behind the chaos, and looked around. The halls were still empty. The assembly was still taking place. This should've been a normal school day. I should've been with my friends in the auditorium, laughing and having a good time. Everything was different.

For some reason, I decided to run and catch up to the madness that was taking place. I couldn't let her out of my sight again. I ran and turned a corner only to see the paramedics taking Riley out the door with Lucas walking by her side.

The police were still in the building, along with other important looking people. Detectives maybe? I wasn't an expert on these things. Two police officers were escorting Jason through the hall.

I walked closer to see if I could hear what they were talking about, but then a door opened ahead of the two officers and Jason. The principal came out and looked at the scene. And then Mr. Matthews pushed past him and looked. This wasn't going to be pretty. He looked angrier than I'd ever seen him before. I'm guessing he found out what happened.

The officers saw this and quickly took Jason to the other side of the room and continued to walk him faster out the hall. "Is that him?!" Mr. Matthews asked, pointing at Jason. He turned to a police officer by his side. "Is this him?"

Jason looked back at Mr. Matthews. He smiled, even with the cuts on his face and drop of blood that came from his nose. It made me angry. I was silently cheering for Mr. Matthews to go over to him and take care of him once and for all. How could he look Riley's father in the eye like that and not feel bad about anything that he did? Jason let out a small laugh. "Matthews," he called out, loud enough so that everyone could hear him clearly. "Riley was great. Tell her to call me some time," he said. He looked over at me and gave me a wink.

I couldn't believe after all of this, he had the nerve to do that. I could kill him! Mr. Matthews tried to run over to Jason, but the principal and an officer held him back. He struggled against them. I could tell he wanted to hurt Jason so badly. "Let me go!" he yelled at the two of them, but of course they didn't. As much as I wanted Mr. Matthews to beat him up, the adults here weren't going to let him.

Jason turned his way one more time. "Hey, you even sound like her too," he remarked. He did NOT just go there!

"_SHUT UP_, JASON!" I blurted out, fed up with him. I don't get how a person could be so insensitive! He just shook his head and laughed as he finally left the school building with the officers. I was literally shaking with anger.

When I glanced back at Mr. Matthews, I saw that he was staring at me now. He wasn't struggling against the two anymore, and seemed to have calmed down now that Jason was finally gone. The principal and officer let him go, and he started to walk toward me.

I was nervous now. Was he mad at me? He told me to watch after Riley for him when he couldn't. I let him down too. Did he think it was my fault? I wouldn't blame him. I thought it was all my fault too. My heart was beating like a hammer as he got closer. What if he hated me? I would never be able to see Riley again. He wouldn't allow it. I was trying desperately to hold back my tears, because I was afraid I was about to lose everything.

Mr. Matthews finally stood in front of me. "Maya," he said, and knelt down to my height and placed a hand on my shoulder. He looked me in the eyes and said, "Are you alright?"

He didn't care that I didn't protect her. He wasn't mad. I was so relieved. Tears started pouring out of my eyes. "Maya, what's wrong?" he asked, "Are you okay?"

I shook my head. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Matthews," I tried to say in a steady voice. "I should've told you about Riley when I found out. It's all my fault. He put a knife on me and told me not to tell anyone, or she would get hurt. But I should have told you anyway, I-"

"No, no Maya, none of this is your fault," he said, and grabbed my shoulders. "I asked you to be there for my daughter when I couldn't be, and you were, Maya. You were there."

I looked at him and wondered why he was so forgiving. I was used to the world being a cruel place, especially after this week. Looking down, I said quietly, "I thought you'd be mad at me."

"Never," he replied, and gave me a hug. I closed my eyes, a couple of tears spilling out. This is what having a family felt like. I felt lucky that I didn't lose that today.

I hugged him back and smiled. "Good, because I wouldn't be able to live without my second family," I replied, and pulled away from the hug to wipe my tears.

He smiled back at me, then looked at the door. "We need to go see Riley," he said, and stood up straight. "I'll call Topanga and then you and I will drive over to the hospital, okay?"

I nodded and he pulled out his cell phone to call Mrs. Matthews. He walked to his classroom to get his car keys and I ran a hand through my hair. I'm sure he didn't know how bad Riley's injuries were. She'd been sliced with a knife for God's sake! It gave me chills just thinking about it. My best friend was in the hospital. I hoped she would be okay.

* * *

Lucas's POV

Sitting in that waiting room was painful. Both mentally and physically. I looked down at my hands and saw cuts and bruises on my fists. Judging from the throbbing of my jaw, he had punched me pretty hard. I hated him. Even thinking about him brought me back to that angry place I was at when I finally laid eyes on him. I shook my head. I didn't even realize that Riley had been hurt. I was too focused on beating that guy up. It was killing me not knowing if she was going to be okay or not.

Sighing, I leaned back in my chair and looked up at the ceiling. All I could think about was Riley. I missed her laugh, her smile, her personality. She was different from most girls, and I liked that. In my eyes, she was perfect. I would do anything for her. Even though I'm scared to admit it, and I know that we're still young, I think I love her.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone walk quickly into the waiting room. It was Riley's mom. She looked around the room frantically. When she finally looked my way, she ran over to me. "Lucas? What's wrong with Riley? Is she okay?" she asked me, not leaving much time in between her questions. Her vision shifted from my eyes to the side of my face. "Is that a bruise? Lucas, you need to tell me what happened."

Then I realized something. She had no idea what happened to Riley. I couldn't be the one to tell her. It would be too hard. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Thankfully, I saw a doctor coming our way. She came up to us and asked, "Are you Mrs. Matthews?"

"Yes, is Riley okay?" she asked, a look of fear still on her face. Her hair was a little frizzy and her shoes didn't look the same, like she put on two different black heels. She must have got ready and drove over here in a hurry.

The doctor gestured over to a hall on our left. "Come this way," she said, and we both followed her. She led us down a hall and to a door with a number on top that said 469. Riley was behind this door, on a hospital bed in who-knows-what condition. I was more nervous than I had ever felt in my life before, and judging by her expression, so was Mrs. Matthews.

"Is she okay?" she asked again.

The doctor nodded. "Her physical condition will need some time to recover, but its nothing fatal. She passed out from the pain she was feeling earlier, but she's awake now. We've addressed her wounds and had stitches done on her abdomen and a cast on her ankle she will have to wear for a few weeks."

"Stitches?" Mrs. Matthews repeated, horrified. "And a cast?"

"Don't worry, both will heal with time," the doctor said, then took a deep breath. "On the other hand, her mental condition needs some work. This event must have been traumatic for her."

Mrs. Matthews raised an eyebrow. "What event? What happened to her, and why won't anyone tell me?"

"We have a strict doctor-patient confidentiality rule here, so I can't tell you any specifics. Though I can tell you that during the examination, we found _many_ bruises on her body," she said. Riley's mom slightly gasped, but then nodded. I could tell she was scared. "They look pretty recent, maybe a few days old? But please, feel free to talk to your daughter whenever you like."

With that, the doctor walked away from us and turned the corner until she disappeared from sight. "Oh my God, Riley," Mrs. Matthews said to herself, looking at the door. She put a hand on the doorknob before turning my way. "Lucas, are you coming in?"

I had to see Riley. I nodded and said, "Yeah, I am."

* * *

Riley's POV

I had only woken up about an hour ago, and my whole body was aching. I groaned and tried to sit up, barely successful at doing so. It was getting nerve wracking laying there and listening to the heart monitor beep the whole time. I needed a change of pace.

Though I would rather not be in a hospital with stitches that were killing me and a cast that stopped me from being able to move my foot, it was nice. I was finally away from everything that made me scared. That being Jason. He wasn't here and that's all I needed to know to make me satisfied.

The door to my room opened up suddenly, and my mom slowly walked in. "Riley, honey," she said, and came over to give me a hug. I looked past her shoulders and saw Lucas come in and shut the door behind him. My mom put her hands lightly on my arms and looked at me. "How are you?"

I shrugged, honestly not knowing how to answer that. How was I? I couldn't say fine, it would be a lie. Everything was far from fine, but I couldn't tell my mom that. "It's hot," I said, and meant it. It was a little too warm in that room, even with the short hospital gown I was wearing.

"Here," my mom said, and pulled the sheets off of me. She stopped once she got to my knees, and then stared at my legs.

I was confused. Lucas got closer to see what she was staring at. I looked down at my legs and saw. There were finger shaped bruises on my mid-thigh. My mom didn't know what happened to me yet. I was too embarrassed to tell my parents, and I definitely did not want to tell her now.

She looked up at me. "Riley, who did this to you?" she asked. I pulled the sheets back up.

"I don't remember," I replied quickly. "I don't really want to talk about it anyway."

She shook her head. "Riley Matthews, listen to me," she said, looking me in the eyes. "You can tell me anything. I'm your mother. I'm the last person that would hate or judge you. I love you no matter what."

I thought about what she said. I really wanted to tell her. I didn't want to hide it anymore, but I was afraid she would be mad at me. Jason took something away from me that I could never get back.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I looked down. My heart was racing. Just like I predicted days ago, I couldn't get the words out. It felt impossible. How could I tell my mom about this?

I looked up at Lucas, who was standing near the back of my small room. There was was a bruise on his jaw, and his bottom lip had a small cut on it. He must have fought pretty hard back there. He looked me in the eyes and nodded, like he was telling me that I should tell my mom what happened. Maybe I should. I have to tell her, I can't hold it in forever.

"It was...," I started, taking a deep breath and letting it back out. I tried to speak but couldn't. My voice froze. This was too hard. "I can't do it."

My mom grabbed my hand. "Riley-"

"Where's Maya?" I asked, pulling my hand back. Maya looked so worried before I blacked out. I had to let her know she was okay. I looked at my mom and said, "I just need to talk to Maya, and then maybe I'll be able to tell you what happened. But I just can't right now, Mom."

She looked at me for a second then nodded. "I'll see if they're in the waiting room," she said, and got up. "I'll be back soon, Riley."

My mom left the room and shut the door behind her. I felt bad for not telling her, but I couldn't work up the courage to do it. I was in tears when I told Maya, and I'd probably have a mental break down telling my parents.

Lucas was still standing in the same spot. I remembered I was in the hospital wearing a baggy gown, my hair was a mess, and I probably had a bruise where Jason had punched me in the nose. I touched it and felt the small bandage they must have put on before I woke up. I probably looked horrible right now.

"Broken?" he asked, stepping a little closer.

I shrugged. "So is my ankle," I replied, gesturing to the leg that had a cast on it.

Lucas walked to the edge of my bed and looked at me. "I'm sorry, Riley," he said, and knelt down to match my height, crossing his arms and resting them on the side of my bed. "I should've noticed when he hurt you. Maybe you wouldn't have broken your nose or your ankle, or have to get stitches," he looked down and away from me.

None of this was his fault. I didn't want him to feel guilty. "Well," I started, "my nose was broken before you showed up, so that couldn't have been your fault."

He gave me a half smile. "Was that supposed to make me feel better?" he joked, looking back up at me.

"I don't know," I said back, leaning my head against the wall behind my bed. "I just don't want you to feel guilty. It was all my fault. I wanted to try and convince him not to get you and Maya involved in that mess, but obviously it didn't go well."

"That's why you were there?" he asked. I looked him in the eye and nodded. I regretted trying to reason with Jason now. How could I have been so stupid? Lucas lightly grabbed my hand. "Riley, none of this is your fault. I'll tell you a million times until you believe it. You don't deserve any of this."

I closed my eyes and sighed. "Can I ask you something?" I questioned, looking straight at him now. I didn't let him answer that, and asked, "When Maya told you what happened, did you ever... think that I wanted it? Wanted what happened?"

Lucas scrunched his eyebrows and gave me a confused look. "Never," he answered, "of course I didn't. Why would you ask that?"

"What if that's what my parents will think if I tell them?" I asked him. "What if they don't believe me, or if they're embarrassed of me?"

Now he grabbed both of my hands and held them. "Trust me. You don't have to be scared to tell them," Lucas said to me. I wanted to believe him.

Just then, the door opened and Maya came into the room. She looked like she had been crying because her eyes were slightly red and puffy, and her hair was messier than usual. Even though she looked tired, she smiled when she saw me. She looked at me and Lucas and said, "Am I interrupting something?"

I blushed and gently pulled my hands away from Lucas's before saying, "No."

Maya came over to me and pulled me into a hug. I cringed and said, "Maya, my stitches."

"Oh," she replied, and loosened her grip. "Sorry. I was so worried about you. How are you doing?"

That question again. "I'm... okay," I said, deciding to just tell a small lie and keeps things from getting complicated.

She nodded, then turned to Lucas. "The Matthews want to talk with you, Lucas," she told him.

He looked shocked at first, but then said, "Okay. I'll see you later, Riley."

We both smiled at each other and he left the room. Maya looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Okay...," she started, then shook her head. "Anyway, I heard what the doctor was telling your dad," Maya said, sitting down on the bed next to me.

The doctor was talking to my dad about what happened? "Did he tell him everything?" I asked Maya anxiously. I hoped not.

She sighed and said, "Riles, your dad already knows."

"What?" I said in a hushed voice. "How?!"

"There was security camera footage," she continued. "Your dad and the principal saw it."

"No, no, no" I said to myself, covering my face with my hands. This was a nightmare. "I didn't want him to find out."

Maya put a hand on my back to comfort me. "He's on your side, Riley. You should've seen him. He was ready to kill the jerk who did this to you."

My face still covered, I asked, "He saw him?"

"For a few seconds. Two people had to hold him back."

I thought about that. My dad wasn't against me, or mad at me. I uncovered my face and looked at Maya. "I can't believe I was worried for nothing."

She looked me in the eyes and grabbed my hand. "Riley, this is important," she said, "the doctor was talking to your parents about next week. You'll have to come back in and take a pregnancy test."

My heart dropped. No, I couldn't be. There was just no way. I squeezed Maya's hand and looked at her. "You don't think I am, do you?" I asked. I was still in middle school for heaven's sake! This couldn't happen to me, not yet.

"I hope not Riles," she said, and moved to sit beside me. She put her arm around my shoulder. "But whatever happens, I'll be there for you every step of the way."

I sighed. "Everything's changed," I said in a low voice. It was true. My friends would always remember what happened this week, my parents would never let me out of their sight again, and things would never go back to the way they were. I rested my head on Maya's shoulder, and said, "Can we go home?"

She nodded, saying, "I'll tell the doctor's you're ready to leave." Maya got up and left the room.


	9. Chapter 9

**This is the last chapter guys :( The story was kind of short, but I think it just had to end here or else it would drag on.. I am writing an epilogue though, which I meant to publish about a week ago. I might continue this story with a sequel or just write a new story.. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter and remember to check backfor the epilogue in a couple of hours :)**

* * *

*The next week*

Riley's POV

"Two months?"

"That's what the judge said."

"How is that even possible?!" Maya exclaimed, standing up from her chair. "This is crazy!"

My mom nodded. "I know, Maya. His parents were rich, it was no surprise. The good thing is that he got punishment."

Maya scoffed. "Yeah, because two months of staying at home is punishment."

I sighed and closed my eyes. Jason was only getting two months of house arrest for what he did to me. Then after that, he would be allowed back into the city to do whatever he wanted again. It really wasn't fair.

"Don't forget that he got expelled from school," my mom said. "If we didn't have that video on him, he would've been going back to school with all of you."

"How are you okay with this?" Maya asked my mom. "What he did to Riley was-"

"I know what he did," my mom said. "But right now we need to focus on Riley. This is important."

Maya looked over at me. She nodded and sat down next to me. We were waiting for the results of my pregnancy test. I was scared out of my mind. I didn't want to have a baby. Not while I was still in middle school. Not when the baby's father would be my rapist. I didn't want that.

I let out a shaky breath of air, and my mom put a hand on my back. "It's all going to be okay, Riley."

I bit my lip and looked down. "I'm scared," I confessed, trying to hold back tears.

Maya took my hand and held it. "Me too," she said, and looked at me. "But I got you no matter what."

* * *

*Later that night*

Almost everyone was at my house. My grandparents, Uncle Shawn, Josh, Maya and Farkle. Lucas hadn't shown up yet. I was wondering where he was. I wanted so desperately to tell him what happened at the doctor's appointment today. It was the only thing on my mind.

I was sitting at the dinner table dazing off. What if Lucas didn't like me anymore after everything that's happened? He almost got stabbed because of me! I was so stupid...

It seemed as though everything happened years ago, but I remembered it like it was yesterday. That stupid detention, that stupid teacher, his stupid smile, I was stupid for following him. I wanted to go back in time. It was making me so frustrated that he did that to me, and there was no way I could take it back.  
His face appeared in my mind now. He had that smirk on his face, like he knew he would overpower me. That he would be able to trick me. His voice always sent chills down my spine. "I remember how much you wanted this."

My eyes went wide, since the voice caught me off guard. I was still stuck in my thoughts. "What?" I asked, wondering if he really was speaking to me.

"You've been asking me to bring you one of these from that shop in Philly," the voice said again, and something was placed in front of me.

I stood up quickly and backed away from the table with a gasp. I looked up and saw everyone staring at me from around the table. Shawn had put something in front of me where I was sitting, but now he looked worried. "What's wrong, Riley?" my mom asked. Maya, Farkle, and Josh were looking up at me too.

Embarrassed, I tried to open my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. "I..." I managed to say before hurrying to my room.

I shut the door and sat down on my bed. God, I couldn't do anything right without looking like an idiot! I hated Jason so much!

A few tears of frustration rolled down my face as I sat there on my bed. Then there was a knock at my door. I knew it had to be Uncle Shawn. "What do you want?" I asked quietly, wondering if he heard me at all. He must have because shortly after, the door opened up.

He walked a little closer, but didn't get too close. "Are you alright?" he asked, and I looked up at him. He looked really uncomfortable, it almost made me want to laugh. If I could bring myself to laugh...

I looked down at the ground. "I never told anyone about the second and third time," I said.

"What?" Shawn asked.

Biting my lip, I closed my eyes and tried to stay strong. "The second and third time I was alone with him."

It was silent for a moment, but then Shawn stepped a little closer. "Did you... want to talk about it?" he asked me cautiously.

I did. Before, I couldn't talk about any of it, but for some reason right now, I had to let it all out. "The second time scared me so much. I thought I'd never see him again. But then he was there."

Shawn looked a little bit uncomfortable, but I could tell he wanted to hear more. He cared. "I knew he was going to do it to me again, and that scared me more than anything. I didn't want to feel like that again. But I got away. I convinced him to leave me alone that time," I said, and looked up at Shawn. "And I was stupid enough to go back a third time, because I thought he might hurt my friends. He was more violent that time, almost like he wanted to kill me. I made everything worse, and he's still out there, Uncle Shawn. He's not in jail, and..."

I couldn't continue. I was scared that he would come and hurt me again. I didn't feel safe anywhere I went. Uncle Shawn came closer and keeled down in front of me. "All of those people out there," he said, gesturing to the door, "your family, they're all here to care for and protect you. Including me. We won't let anything happen to you anymore."

He was looking at me with hopeful eyes. I could tell he wanted to cure me somehow from what I was feeling. I gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Uncle Shawn."

Shawn stood up. "Did you want to finish dinner with everyone else?" he asked.

I looked over to the door. Being with a crowd of people was the last thing on my mind. I just needed some space for a little bit. "I'm... kind of tired. Maybe in a couple of minutes?" I replied.

He nodded, "Take your ti-"

There was a sound at the window. I looked over and saw it open. It was Lucas. He came in quickly, his hair and jacket slightly wet from the rain outside. He was breathing heavily, as if he was running.

I looked at him with wide eyes. He was finally here. My chest got this weird feeling. I didn't know how to describe it, but it was a good feeling. It was getting so late that I thought he wasn't coming at all. He was never too good at communication, but I accepted that. All I cared about was that he was here with me when I needed him. And I definitely needed him now.

"I'm sorry, Riley, I know I should've been here earlier," he said, staying in the same place. "I just got held up, and I was trying to do something important before I got here, and I didn't realize how late it got and I couldn't wait for the next subway to arrive in an hour so I just ran here, and now..." he trailed off, trying to catch his breath.

We locked gazes and stared at each other for a few moments. He looked at me with a worried look, but it soon faded into a smile. "Hi," he said, wiping off raindrops from his leather jacket.

He looked like a train wreck right now, but I loved it. His hair was wet and a few strands stuck to the top of his forehead, his blue shirt under his jacket was wrinkled, and he was still trying to catch his breath. The corner of my mouth turned up at the sight of him like this. "Hey," I replied quietly, still looking at him.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. I turned my head slightly and saw Shawn backing out of the door. He looked at me, then brought a hand to his face and did the "my lips are sealed" motion before he left and closed the door.

I looked back at Lucas. I was going to say something like "I've been waiting for you" or "finally!", but I didn't think that would express how I was really feeling. It was weird, but I felt a sudden relief. Everything was safe when he was here.

"I was researching online," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I know, you probably want to be alone, but I just want you to know that you can tell me anything, Riley. You don't have to, but you can."

He was researching? About what? Then it hit me. He was looking up how to talk to victims like me.

He was right about me wanting to be alone. I didn't want to be out there with everyone staring at me. But I wanted to be here with him. He made me feel at ease, and I loved how much he cared. Without hesitation, I got up from my bed and ran over to him, pulling him in for a hug. A few tears fell down my face, and I couldn't help but start to cry. It had only been about a week, but I missed him so much while I was away from school.

I felt his arms wrap back around me, and I pulled him closer to me. "Are you okay?" Lucas asked me, sounding concerned. He was probably wondering why I burst into tears. I kept my head against his shoulder while I held him.

"I got my results today," I said, trying to stop from crying so much.

I could feel him tense up. It was obvious from the start that he was nervous when he found out that there was a possibility of me being pregnant, but now I was finally going to tell him whether it happened or not.

Slowly, I pulled away from the embrace and looked at him. "Are you?" he asked, holding onto my hands. He looked so nervous.

I shook my head and let out a small laugh. His mouth broke out into a smile and he let out a breath of air. "Thank God," he replied, holding my hands tightly.

"You have no idea how worried I was," I said to him, looking down at the ground. "I was worried what you would think about me if I was."

I kept imagining that if I told him I was, he would just look at me with pity. Maybe he wouldn't like me anymore because someone else had me first. I was feeling like trash for a while now, and it got even worse when I had to wait for the results.

Lucas lifted my chin up and said, "Riley, listen to me. I would still like you, regardless of the test being positive or negative," he said to me. "You're one of the best girls I've ever met, and I wouldn't throw that away over this."

I smiled at him, and looked into his eyes. Words couldn't describe how loved I felt right now. This boy has been my friend for a while now, he's always had my best interest at heart, and he saved me from my mistakes I made this week. I looked up to him like he was a hero.

Suddenly, he leaned in closer and gently pressed his lips on mine. I wasn't expecting it, so I let out a short gasp. He immediately pulled away and looked at me, looking extremely guilty. I looked back at him with wide eyes. "Riley," he said, backing away a little bit. "I'm so sorry, that was probably too soon, I-"

I laughed and moved closer to him, cutting him off mid-sentence with a kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he put his arms around my waist. In this moment, I felt like I could stay like this forever with him.

After a few seconds, I pulled away and he looked at me with a small smile and said, "Your dad would kill me if he came in right now."

"He wouldn't kill you," I replied. "He'd probably just take one of your shoes while he chased you out the window."

He raised an eyebrow. "Or take one of my feet," he said back with a small laugh. I laughed with him and then he gave me a look I haven't seen before. I didn't know how to describe it. After a few seconds, he said, "I love you, Riley."

I grinned back at him. "I'm resisting the urge to say 'yay', if you're wondering," I replied. He chuckled at that, but then I said, "I love you too."

If we could get through this, we could get through anything.

* * *

*The following Monday*

"I guess you could say I feel alone," I said, looking at a window in the room of the office. "No one really knows how I feel, or what it was like."

The counselor nodded, taking note of what I said. It was my first day of therapy, and it was all really weird. I never thought I'd have to be in a room like this. My parents got me a professional counselor who worked with victims like me, but she agreed to hold my sessions at my school to make things easier for me.

Her name was Tamara, and she was very nice to me. She had light brown skin and short curly hair that went down to her shoulders. Her face was very friendly, so that made this process a lot easier for me. "Have you ever thought about reaching out to somebody about it?" she asked. "Maybe someone who might have gone through this as well."

"I don't think it's that easy to find someone else who's been through the same thing I have."

"It's more common than you think."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I asked.

"No," she answered, giving me a hopeful smile. "It's supposed to make you feel less alone."

I thought about that for a moment. Before I could respond, she looked st her watch and said, "Looks like it's time to head back to class. The school made it clear that they wanted you back in time before lunch started."

I nodded with a sigh. Of course I couldn't skip school anymore. I had to go back sooner or later. Farkle had already let me know that word got around about what happened. Everyone saw the cops and a few students outside heard Jason yelling to my dad that "I was great" and that I should "call him sometime". I couldn't believe he told my dad that, and I couldn't believe that the school knows about it now. It was horrible!

After parting ways with my counselor, I walked out of the office and into the halls. Every inch of me was dreading this moment. I could hear my shoes filling the hall with noise, and it kind of echoed throughout the area.

There it was again; that feeling of loneliness. I couldn't brush it off and I couldn't get emotional before going back to class.

I heard a shuffle ahead of me and I looked up. What the heck was going on?

Ahead of me was my whole History class. Every single one of them. My dad was standing off to the side, and Maya, Farkle, and Lucas were in front of the rest. I gave them a confused look as I stepped forward a little bit. "What's... going on?" I asked.

Maya smiled at me. "Riles, before we start lunch, we want you to hear a few things first," she said, and walked over to me. She held my hand and started talking again. "You already know that some people heard about what happened to you a few weeks ago."

I got a little tense. I knew I had to face it eventually, but this was happening so quickly.

Farkle started to speak up. "But we all want you to know that you're not alone. We all got together after school to learn more about your situation. We know that it will take you a while to get better," he said, looking at me with friendly eyes. "And we want to be there with you through it all."

Lucas stepped forward, looking at me. I gave him a slight smile, and he gave me one back. Then, he prepared to speak too. "One in four girls will be sexually harassed, molested, or sexually assaulted before they turn 18," he stated, and then stepped aside and turned to the class. "For boys, it's one in five. If any of you fit this description, please step forward."

I didn't expect anyone to step forward, but they did. There were three girls and one boy who walked in front of everyone. It looked like they were holding a blank piece of paper. "It can happen to anybody," Lucas said, "and anybody is capable of doing this to you. Even the people you trust the most."

All of the students who had stepped forward flipped their papers over. I looked at them and tried to read what they said.

One of the girls' paper said 'My babysitter'. Another said 'a classmate' and 'my friend'. The only boy holding one up had a paper that said 'my cousin'. My heart dropped at that one. That was so not okay. Your family is supposed to protect you, not hurt you.

I was trying to take this all in. I wasn't alone. It's happened to more people than I thought. I squeezed Maya's hand and took a deep breath in before letting it back out.

Maya smiled and looked at me. She walked me closer to my classmates and then said, "You guys are our 'one fourths', and we have your back no matter what."

Farkle and Lucas came closer to me and Maya, and I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. For once, they weren't tears from anger or sadness. I was genuinely happy.

I let out a small laugh and pulled them all in for a hug. I could see other groups of friends hugging each other too. It was a good feeling. I felt like everything bad was finally over, and that I could finally take the first step in moving on. "Thank you, guys," I whispered, closing my eyes. I knew things would never be exactly the same, **but this was perfect for now.**


	10. Epilogue

**Make sure to read Chapter 9 first before the Epilogue**

**Warning: This epilogue contains violence and subjects that may be sensitive to some readers.**

* * *

***  
Epilogue - December  
***

"You look fine, Riley!"

"But this one looks too-"

"Ok, then try THIS one! Everyone is probably already there!"

"Okay, okay," I said, taking the dress from Maya. We were at the store trying on different dresses for the post-Christmas party at Topanga's. I had tried on a million different dresses but couldn't find a great one yet. Maya already found hers.

She was wearing a black, sparkly bodycon dress with black heels. When Shawn saw her, he freaked out, but my mom (who did her makeup by the way) convinced him to let her wear it since she would only be at Topanga's for the night. Shawn was almost like Maya's dad with the way they acted with each other.

Maya's hair looked so pretty in waves and her smoky eyes looked great. I wanted to look as great as she did.

With a sigh, I went back into the dressing room and slipped on the dress Maya gave me. It was a sleeveless dark-red skater dress with lace straps and a thick black belt. I looked in the mirror and smiled. This looked perfect!

Coming out of the dressing room, I saw Maya's face light up. "Sweetie," she said, nodding her head. "I think this is the one."

"Aw, thanks Peaches," I replied, twirling around. "Wait," I said, and looked back in the mirror. Maya groaned, but I ignored that and said, "won't it get cold?"

Maya quickly shoved a few things into my arms. "One step ahead of you," she said. I looked at what she gave me and saw a light brown cardigan and thigh high socks, along with a pair of black boots. "Now let's go!"

After I got dressed and ready, we headed over to the party. It was dark out, but holiday lights were put up around the building to lighten things up. It looked really pretty. Almost everyone was outside, and there was music playing. I smiled brightly and went over to the crowd with Maya.

"I have a feeling that this is going to be a good night," I said to Maya, holding her hand. Everything looked so beautiful and perfect. My mom did an awesome job with the whole thing!

Maya looked to me and replied, "You and me."

I smiled at her. "You and me."

Even though she said this, I knew it was only a matter of time before she realized that Josh was here and went running to him. Her eyes lit up as she looked somewhere, and I turned to see who she was looking at. Inside of Topanga's, I saw my uncle Josh helping my parents set the tables up and putting food out. "Uncle Boing," she said in a happy voice, and started to run over before I caught her by the hand.

"Maya, don't get your hopes up," I said, looking at her happy face. "He's probably dating a college girl. You know, one that's his age?"

She smirked while wagging a finger at me and said, "Three years, Riley. It's only three years."

I shook my head and waved as she hurried to the door to talk to Josh. I wasn't sure if Maya would ever get over her crush on Josh...

"Hey, Riley!"

Turning around, I saw Lucas a few feet away from me. He had a drink in one hand and a box in another. The box had red and gold wrapping paper with a small silver bow on top. I went over to him and gave him a hug. "Hi, Lucas," I said, and he put the present in my hands. I looked at it and asked, "You got me a present? I thought we agreed-"

"I know you didn't want any presents for the party," he replied, "but I couldn't help it. I wanted to do something nice for you, Riley."

I had let my friends know that I didn't need any presents this year since all I wanted was to have this party on the weekend after Christmas. I should have known that Lucas was going to get me one anyway. "What is it?" I asked with a smile.

"Open it," He replied, gesturing to the box.

It wasn't too big, and it fit perfectly in the palm of my hand. Taking the top off of the box, I looked inside and then started to push the small tissue paper out of the way to see what was inside. I saw something gold gleaming from inside of the tissue, so I pulled it out and looked to see what it was. It was a bracelet, and it was very simple and pretty. In the middle of it, the bracelet twisted into an infinity symbol. "I had it inscribed," Lucas said, and I looked at the bracelet again to find words on the outside of it.

"There are some moments you know you're going to remember forever...," I read aloud, and then looked on the inside of the bracelet. "This is one of them."

I looked up at him and smiled. "That wasn't too cheesy, was it?" he asked.

Standing on my toes I gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "It wasn't cheesy when you first said it," I replied, "and it's not cheesy now."

He nodded, and then stared at me for a while. I turned my head slightly with a confused look. With a small laugh, I asked, "Why are you staring at me?"

Lucas blinked hard and scratched the back of his head. "You look pretty tonight, Riley."

"Oh, thanks," I replied with my face blushing, then grabbed his hand. "Wanna dance?"

"Yeah, sure," he said, first putting the bracelet on my wrist and then heading over to the crowd.

They played at least twenty songs while we danced. The music was so loud I could feel the bass move through my body, and it was awesome. Everyone around me seemed to be having a good time, including me and Lucas.

"Hey," someone said, and I turned around to find Maya dancing next to me.

"Maya," I greeted, dancing with her now. "How did it go with Josh?"

"I don't think you want to know," she replied with a laugh.

"Ladies," Farkle said, coming toward us. "Would any of you like to dance?"

I smiled and almost took up on the offer until I felt Lucas gently grab my hand. "She's taken for the night," he said, "but I'm sure there's another beauty who'd be happy to dance with you."

Lucas gestured to Maya, and she responded with a glare. "You're lucky you're dating my best friend, hop-along," she said, then turned to Farkle with a smile. "And since she's taken, I'll dance with you."

Farkle gladly took her hand and led her to the middle of the dance floor, while Lucas and I stayed right where we were. Right after they left, a slow song started to play. I heard a guitar start to play through the area. Lucas and I looked up at each other simultaneously and gave each other knowing looks. I put my hands on his shoulders while he put his on my waist, and we began to slow dance

_I want you_

_And I need you_

_And nothing comes close_

"This is the best night I've had in a long time, Lucas," I said, looking him in the eyes.

He looked at me too and said, "I'm not sure if it could get any better."

_To the way that I need you_

_I wish I can feel your skin_

A breeze blew through the area, and I started to shiver. Lucas pulled me closer and we slowly swayed to the music that was playing. "Are you cold?" he asked, concerned. I simply shook my head and held him closer. I didn't want to do anything other than be with him in this moment. I rested my head on his chest and closed my eyes while we were still swaying to the music.

_And I want you_

_From somewhere within_

I felt something on my nose, and opened my eyes to see what it was. Then I felt it again, but on my arm. It was rain. I looked up and then a few more drops came down. Soon, it was pouring. A few people started to walk inside, but Lucas and I stayed where we were.

He looked down at my lips then back up into my eyes. I nodded my head and started to lean in while he did the same.

Before we could reach each other, someone stepped between us. "Lucas," my dad said, "you know what's a great idea? Inside. Now."

"Dad!" I quietly exclaimed, disappointed. I watched my dad lead an embarrassed Lucas inside while I reluctantly followed behind them. He was more protective of me now than ever before! It was embarrassing but I understood where he was coming from, so there were no hard feelings there.

For some reason, I decided to look down at my wrist and then saw that my bracelet was missing. "I'll be right there," I said to my dad, and then turned around to look for it. God, that bracelet must have been expensive! I had to find it fast before Lucas noticed that it was gone. Why was I such a klutz? I sighed heavily and began scanning the ground for my bracelet. What if I had lost it when we first started dancing? That was so long ago! It could have gotten kicked around, or someone might have picked it up and taken it with them.

Trying to calm myself, I slowly continued to look all over the floor for my present. It had to be here somewhere.

There were still I few people outside, so I tried to walk past them as they were heading towards Topanga's. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something gold shimmer. I quickly looked in that direction and saw my bracelet on the floor. I tried to rush over to it since people were walking around it. I was almost to the bracelet when someone nearly stepped on it. Before they did, someone picked the bracelet up off the ground and held it out towards me.

"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed happily, and took it from them. I slid it onto my wrist and looked at it. No scrapes or dirt. I guess I was pretty lucky.

"No problem."

I jumped at the familiar voice and looked up. No, no, no, no…

It couldn't be! How? My heart dropped as I looked into his green, piercing eyes. He chuckled and raised an eyebrow at me. "What? I did you a favor, didn't I," he asked, stepping closer to me. "I really shouldn't have, considering the fact that you got me on house arrest for two months."

Everyone had already gone inside, and I was all the way by the stairs so that no one could see me. Just great. I let out a shaky breath and said in a quiet voice, "You're not supposed to be within 300 yards of me."

He shrugged. "I'm also not supposed to be out of my house until next week, but look where I am," he said, looking around. "The place looks nice, by the way."

"What are you doing here?" I asked, looking back. Lucas was in there. If I could just get over there and let him know-

"I'm here to check up on you," he replied with a smirk. "I wanted to see how my little brunette adjusting to life after the 'traumatic event'. If only they knew the real story. I could tell you liked what we did."

I shook my head and furrowed my eyebrows. "I did _not_," I replied, backing up one step. "You know I didn't. You need to leave."

The rain was still pouring, and the wind picked up. I started to shiver again, and he smiled at me. "You cold?" he asked, harshly grabbing my wrists. "Maybe I can warm you up."

I tried to tell him no, but in a second he was all over me. He pushed me against the brick wall and pressed his body against mine so that I could hardly move. When I tried to pull my face further away from his, he used a hand to grab my chin and face it towards him. "You owe this to me," he said in a low voice, attempting to force his lips on mine.

"Get… off!" I said out of breath, trying to get out of his grasp. His other hand started to travel under my dress and up my thigh. I used one of my hands to stop it from going any further.

"Stop being a tease," he said in a low and harsh voice. "I know you want it."

I wasn't going to get away from him like this. He was way too strong for me to get away. With my heart beating like a hammer, I tried to quickly think of a way out of this. "LUCAS!" I exclaimed, before Jason slapped me across the face with a lot of force. I cried out in pain, and heard a slight ringing in my ear. It had to have been the hardest he had ever slapped me. Tears spilled out of my eyes and I held my face. God, it hurt so bad!

He pushed my head back against the wall and whispered in my ear. "If you had just done what I said like the first time, this would have gone a whole lot smoother," he said to me, and ran across my face and down my neck. I shivered in disgust. All I wanted was for him to stop. "I want you, and don't doubt that I eventually get what I want."

I turned back to face him and felt my blood boil. I was undeniably angry at him. With a glare, a snapped back and said, "Go to Hell, Jason."

He laughed at that and replied with, "That's cute. I wish we had more time to talk, but you're attracting too much attention. Surprise, surprise."

Finally, he backed off and started to walk away. "See you around, Riley."

I shook my head. He would be stupid to come back around me. My family and friends were always near me now, so there was no chance he would catch me completely alone. Not anymore. Once he was gone, I heard the door to the building open.

"Riley?" I heard someone ask. I turned and saw Lucas a few feet away from me. "You've been out here this whole time? Everyone's almost done with their food, and we're about to leave."

He walked closer to me, and then furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, grabbing my hand.

I inhaled sharply and said, "Can you take me home, please?"

"Why?" he asked, then started to look around. "What happened? And why is your…"

He put a hand on the side of my face where I had been slapped and I cringed in pain. "Please," I said, turning my face away in hopes that he didn't see my reaction to his hand. "I'm just tired. Maya and my parents will understand."

"Okay…" he said seemingly reluctant, and linked his arm with mine. "Let's hurry. You're soaked. The last thing we need is for you to freeze to death out here."

I nodded and we both briskly walked to my house, which wasn't far from here. He was right. My clothes were completely soaked by the rain water, which kind of sucked since I had just bought this only about a few hours ago. My outfit was the last thing on my mind, though. I just wanted to go back home with Lucas, where it was safe.

Once we got there, we both walked to my bedroom door. "Can you wait outside for a minute?" I asked him.

"Sure," he said, giving me a slight nod.

I went into my room and closed the door behind me. Quickly, I took off my wet clothes and looked in my dresser for new ones. I picked out a thick grey sweatshirt with black and white plaid pajama shorts.

Once I slipped those on and put my wet clothes away, I called out for Lucas. "You can come in now."

The door opened and he walked in, shutting the door behind him. "So, why did you want to come home?" he asked, walking over to me. Before I could come up with an answer, he looked at the side of my face again. "Riley, why is the side of your face red?"

I stayed silent and looked down. I did want to tell him, but I didn't want him to freak out. And I knew he would freak out if he knew. Lucas reached his hand out and gently grabbed my chin, turning my head to the side. "Is this…" he trailed off, looking at my face. When I looked up at him, I saw anger build up in his face. "Riley," he started, "Who did this?"

My mouth opened to talk, but nothing came out. I tried again. "He won't come back," I reassured him.

"_Him_? It was _him_?" he questioned me, his hand falling from my face. I could tell he was about to get really angry. He started pacing in front of me, running a hand through his hair. "When? When did you see him? This is unbelievable! Riley, tell me what he did-"

"Lucas," I interrupted, taking a hold of one of his hands. "He's not coming back."

He looked at me for a second before saying, "You don't know that. He shouldn't have even been near you, let alone slapping you across-, I can't even think about it, Riley. You need to tell me. Did he hurt you again?"

I shook my head. "He tried. He was grabbing me, but I pushed him away and called out for you. That's what made him do that to me," I replied quickly.

"Then he walked away. He knew he wouldn't be able to do anything because you were there. And you're always going to be there. He won't come back, Lucas."

I could tell he calmed down a little bit, but he was still concerned for me. "Why are you brushing this off so easily?" he asked me. He wanted so desperately to be mad, but I could tell I was slowly calming him down. I couldn't let him get too angry, and I didn't like him that way.

Shrugging, I said, "I'm just tired, Lucas. Maybe we'll sort it out in the morning, but I want to sleep. I don't think he'll ever come around me again. You need to trust me on this one."

I sat down on my bed and he got on my bed too, leaning back against the headboard. He looked tired too, and heavily sighed while he relaxed back onto my bed

I snuggled up close to him and put my head on his chest. He let out a small laugh. "Riley Matthews, I don't know how, but you've got me wrapped around your finger. We'll talk in the morning, but you need your sleep."

"Stay with me," I said, closing my eyes and holding him tighter. "I feel safe with you here."

"Your dad would kill me if he saw us like this," he said. I could tell that he was probably smiling to himself. He ran a hand through my somewhat wet hair, and then put his arm around me.

"I won't let him."


End file.
